


All My Friends Are Heathens

by DracoTerrae



Series: Heathens' Universe [1]
Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, M/M, Mutants, Slow Burn, Special/Magical Abilities, Suicide Squad, canon inspired, endgame bellarke
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-25
Updated: 2017-10-07
Packaged: 2018-07-26 18:31:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 24
Words: 109,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7585381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DracoTerrae/pseuds/DracoTerrae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chancellor Thelonious Jaha has put together a team of criminal delinquents, each with his or her own special Ability, in order to learn if his people stand a chance on the earth on which their ancestors once lived, a land that is filled with hostility—both from the environment and the people who inhabit it.</p><p>This fiction is a weird conglomeration of The 100, Suicide Squad, and X-Men, at least that’s the best way I can describe it in my brain filled mind.  (Less Suicide Squad than I had originally intended.) The best way I can describe the plot:  canon inspired with a little extra twist.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Meet the Team

**Author's Note:**

> I have taken liberties with the manipulation of the background with which we are all familiar, but there are still several strands to which it relates. 
> 
> Title from “Heathens” by Twenty One Pilots; my friend and I agree that though this song was made for Suicide Squad, it could definitely be applied to The 100.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Like I said,” Jaha continued, unperturbed by the criminals around him. “You were each chosen for a reason. I brought you here so you would know your team before you’re sent to Earth.”

“It has been decided,” Thelonious Jaha, Chancellor of the Ark, pronounced with a tone of finality.  The Ark, the final hope of surviving post-nuclear decimation.  A large spaceship, representing various nations, floating above a radiation-soaked planet.  It had been the home of the survivors of Earth for the past century, and it was meant to last yet another.  The only problem was that it wasn’t going to be able to last another century; it wasn’t even going to be able to last another year.  But Thelonious Jaha had a plan, a plan to return to Earth.

“We can’t do that to them; they’re basically children!” Abigail Griffin, chief medical officer, protested for the hundredth time.

“Just because your daughter is among the number, doesn’t mean they’re children, Abby.  It’s the most capable group we could put together and the youngest of them just turned twenty-one,” Jaha returned.

Marcus Kane, vice-Chancellor, had been sitting back and watching the debate for the last fifteen minutes.  It was only now that he spoke up.  “It is the best option for our people, Abby.  Even if you don’t like it, you know at least _that_ is true.  We need to find a new place to live. The Ark is dying; our oxygen converters are failing, no one can fix them, and the greenhouses and food production are barely keeping up with demand even with our one child policy; people were never meant to live in this type of environment for such an extended time.  I agree with the Chancellor; we need to try to go back to Earth.”

“Then why don’t we send engineers or an army or something to resettle the land?  Why do we have to send our children, and only a handful of them, against an unknown and most likely hostile environment?”  Abby was still not convinced by the idea.

“Yes, Abby, much has changed in both the land and our bodies over the past century.  We need to know if we’re still compatible and _this_ group will be able to tell us that; each of the selected were chosen for a reason.  Assuming, the environment is livable, working together _this_ group will make it survivable.”

“‘Assuming the environment is livable?’ You’re sending them to their deaths!” Abby was infuriated.  How could these men think this was okay?  A group of only eight, and at the ages of twenty-one to twenty-five she had to admit they were young adults, but her daughter was in that number, her baby girl was being sent on a suicide mission to Earth.

“If we don’t send them, we’re already dead,” Jaha said, but this time there was a resigned sadness in his voice.  “We don’t have a choice, Abby.  It’s either chance it with them, or we all die.  You know that better than anyone.”

Abby sighed.  She knew he spoke the truth, but that didn’t mean she had to like it; she was still adamant there was another way.

 

* * *

 

 

Clarke Griffin sat in solitary confinement absent-mindedly sketching a drawing with piece of charcoal her favorite guard had smuggled her.  After nearly a year, she was used to the silence and being left alone with her own thoughts; the only human interaction available to her was the guards shoving meager meals of too small rations through the food slot of her door, and they were never the chatty sort.  Her right hand dropped the charcoal to itch at the metal bracelet that encircled her left wrist.  It was a painful reminder of where she was, a painful reminder of the circumstances that brought her here, and just goddamn painful. 

On the Ark, in the generations since taking to space, there have been increasing cases of people being born with abilities.  The residing hypothesis was that with the increased ability to filter radiation—a result of living and growing up in space—their bodies reacted by branching into new abilities beyond the bounds of previous human reasoning.  However, the people of the Ark, and more importantly the Council and those in charge, believed these people to be mutants, the word almost always uttered with hate behind it. 

As a result of this hate, people with abilities were more often than not abhorred and feared and thus the cold metal bracelet.  A piece of metal that had evenly spaced needles that dug into the wrist and released a pulse that prevented a mutant from using his or her abilities.  But to Clarke, and others who had the bracelet forced upon them, it felt like it separated her not only from her abilities, but also from a vital part of herself; it made her feel half-human, oddly the exact thing non-mutant accused mutants of being.  Because resources were so scarce, the bracelets were reserved for those labeled criminals, but that never stopped the Council from naming anyone who had an ability a criminal.  Don’t register your ability because you don’t want to face the loathing in everyone’s eyes?  Criminal.  Register your ability, but use it without the expressed permission of the Council?  Criminal.  Use your ability to commit a crime?  Criminal.  But that last one wasn’t so much of a surprise.

She scratched at her wrist again, but stopped abruptly at the sound of footsteps outside her cell.  It wasn’t meal time, what was someone doing here?  Several someones?  Two guards marched into her cell and grabbed her by her arms dragging her out of her cell and refusing to answer her questions of what was happening. The guards manhandled her into an open area, which she guessed was the place that prisoners not in solitary were allowed to roam from time to time.  The cold metal pressed against her bare feet, but the texture gave her no traction in which to dig her feet and fight the unending pull of her guards.  She knew the oxygen converters were failing, that’s what her father had found out.  Maybe the Council wanted to extend the lives of the population of the Ark by killing off its prisoners.  Maybe the ability that had saved her from being floated into space out an airlock was no longer enough reason to keep her alive.  She struggled harder and shouted more questions onto deaf ears.

She looked again to the open area into which she was being led; it was entirely lined with armed guards and soldiers, guns raised and pointed to the center where three fellow prisoners were already milling.  She looked around noticing several other prisoners being pushed and prodded toward the center, making note that each of the selected prisoners had the telltale metal bracelet tight on their left wrists.  They were all mutants.

In the center, two of the three prisoners, both male, embraced in a squeezing hug and began talking quickly to one another.  The taller one had shorter brown hair and was more gangly looking and had somehow acquired a pair of goggles, while the other was of clear Asian descent.  The third, also male, was of a dark complexion and sported a beanie; he stood passively a couple feet away from the other two and watched the guards intently.

Clarke tried to ground to a halt and twist around, so she could get a better look at her surroundings and the other prisoners, but the female guard on her right wrenched her arm harshly and dragged her forward with the help of the guard on Clarke’s left.  She watched as across the open space, a tall, skinny brunette girl struggled much more fiercely than Clarke had tried.  Even from this distance, Clarke heard her shouting obscenities in what Clarke guessed was Spanish.  Towards her right another brunette girl was walking much more calmly with the guards, giving the illusion that she was the leader rather than the prisoner of the trio.  On Clarke’s other side, a man with shaggy brown hair and sharp pointed features was telling his guards with a dry, humorless tone, “If you touch me, you die,” either challenging the assumption that the bracelet could hold his powers, or hinting that he didn’t need access to his abilities to kill them.  Either way, the guards didn’t look like they wanted to test that threat.

Soon all seven of them were in the middle, five of them were staring suspiciously at each other, while the two who clearly knew each other still lost in conversation.  The shaggy haired man looked like he was about to say something, when they all heard cursing and an intense struggle coming from one of the entrances to the yard.  Four guards, instead of the two who had brought everyone else, were hauling an eighth prisoner to the center of the yard.  This tan, dark, curly haired man had managed to get a solid swing at one of his guards causing the other three to punch and jab him with the butts of their guns.  The prisoner looked ready to fight further until the second brunette took a step closer and disbelievingly murmured, “Bellamy?”

The fighting prisoner must have somehow heard or otherwise realized there was a group of prisoners starting at him because he abruptly stopped his swing and turned to the center.  “Octavia?” he called.  And began running to the center where he enveloped the girl into his arms, holding her close.  _Great_ , thought Clarke, _I’m brought out of solitary to watch a lovers’ reunion_.  She glanced at the two boys still conversing quickly and quietly together.  _Twice over._

Apparently she wasn’t the only who felt that way because the shaggy haired man with the pointed features, stood with his arms crossed and looked around.  “As much as I love the quality time outside my cell, unless someone’s going to offer me a little loving of a more _intimate_ variety, I’d rather not waste some valuable time I could be giving it to myself.”  He looked around the group.  “Hey, Chica, how about you?” he asked, leering at the girl who had been spouting Spanish earlier.  She raised her middle finger casually and gave him a look that read, “in your dreams.” “Blondie?” he asked, turning at Clarke who simply scoffed and rolled her eyes. 

“He’s my brother, you pervert,” the girl who had been hugging Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome snarled at the guy who had been speaking.

“To each her own,” the snarky guy retorted.  “Unless, of course you’re offering to share some of that affection with me. Because I haven’t felt a girl—”

Whatever he was going to say was abruptly cut off by the brother’s growl.  “If you so much as think of my sister in that way, I will tear off your balls and make you eat them,” he threatened.

“What the fuck are we even doing here?” the Spanish-speaking brunette spoke up, clearly wanting to give no more attention to the confrontation of the two men.

“I have no idea,” Clarke responded with a shake of her head.  She had only ever been taken out of solitary confinement on one other occasion.  And even then the people with whom she came in contact could have been counted on one hand; right now she was faced with over half a dozen others, not counting the guards who were watching intently from a distance.

Before anyone could voice any theories, none other than Chancellor Thelonious Jaha walked into the open room, surrounded by a personal set of a dozen guards.  He had on a smile that Clarke wanted more than anything to wipe off his face.  He looked at each of the eight in turn, saving her for last. “Clarke,” he greeted as if they were old friends.  And had it been two years ago, it would have been true. 

But now, Clarke could only see him as the man who was responsible for the death of her father as well as the circumstances of her best friend’s death, Wells, who was incidentally Jaha’s own son.  The actual death of Wells was her fault.  If she hadn’t convinced him to try to tell the people about The Ark slowly becoming inhabitable, the very thing for which her father had been executed, he would never have been in the position to get shot.  And if she had fought the guards just a little bit harder or dodged the blow that knocked her unconscious, she would have been able to get to him and Heal him. 

Jaha was also, of course, the reason she was in prison, her power being labeled too valuable to warrant her execution despite her ‘treasonous actions.’  Thus, she was kept in solitary lest she share the news her father and Wells had died trying to tell the people.  She hated herself for how they used her abilities, forcing her to save the man she hated more than anyone else:  Jaha himself.  They had threatened to kill Sasha, Wells’ newlywed wife, unless she saved the elder Jaha.  It was in this same moment that she learned then that Sasha was pregnant; and even though she wouldn’t have let Sasha die had it just been her, the knowledge that there was still going to be a little piece of Wells in the world made her hate herself a little bit less for saving the Chancellor.

“Wait, you’re the princess up in her tower in solitary?” The brother, Bellamy according to his sister’s utterance, asked in disbelief after Jaha’s friendly greeting of her.  “You’re the reason my last contract wasn’t completed!  Why they turned me in and I ended up here instead of paid and quietly buying my way to comfort and happiness?!” He started towards Clarke angrily, but was stopped by the gun of one of Jaha’s guards pressing against his chest.

“That makes you the one who shot the Chancellor.” the one in the beanie said.  “The two of you working as a team?” looking back and forth between the siblings.

“Why the hell did you save him?” the sister, Octavia, asked, fuming.

“Trust me,” Clarke told them, keeping her voice even.  “If two innocent lives, one of which being the unborn child of my dead best friend, hadn’t been the consequence of me refusing, Jaha’s corpse would have been out the airlock faster than the blink of an eye.”  The sister at least had the decency to look a little repentant for her accusation; the brother was another story.

“Anyway,” Jaha plowed over the raw tension, apparently unfazed by his two would-be assassins standing four feet from him in the company of six other criminals who would more than likely welcome his death.  “I have brought you all here because you are going to be the team that leads us home, our real home:  Earth.  You have been carefully chosen to scout out the land and find a place for us to re-settle.”

“Didn’t we leave Earth because it was full of toxic radiation?  Because it would kill us to live there?” the Asian guy asked. 

Goggles Guy nodded enthusiastically next to him.  “Why don’t we just stay on The Ark where we’ve been the past 100 years?”

“Because The Ark is dying,” Clarke informed them.  Jaha gave her a harsh reprimanding look, but it’s not like he could do anything else to her.  His guards looked unsurprised, clearly having already heard this news; the other soldiers, along the perimeter of the room were too far away to have heard what she said.  Her fellow prisoners, however, looked shocked. “What?” Clarke asked Jaha cuttingly.  “You want them to risk their lives and not even know why?”

The Latina looked at her studiously.  “That’s why you’re here.  That’s why you’re in solitary:  because you knew.”

Clarke gave her a curt nod.  “Not just because I knew, but because I wanted to tell people.  It got my father killed, it got Wells killed, but I was deemed too ‘useful’ for execution,” she told her, spitting out the word “useful” as if it were something revolting.

The sister assassin put a few puzzle pieces of her own together and turned abruptly to Jaha.  “That’s why you didn’t float me and Bell.  You wanted us for your stupid earthbound suicide squad or whatever the hell this shit show is.”

“Like I said,” Jaha continued, unperturbed by the criminals and conversations around him.  “You were each chosen for a reason.  I brought you here so you would know your team before you’re sent to Earth.”

“What are we supposed to do?  Join hands and sing Kumbaya with the seven people who are going to be sitting next to us as we go to our deaths?” the shaggy haired guy questioned his voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Hi, I’m Jasper Jordan.  I get uncontrollable rage and super-strength when I’m angry.  I was arrested for the unauthorized production and use of unauthorized drugs,” Goggles, apparently named Jasper, said.  Clarke couldn’t tell if he was mocking or sincere in his introduction of himself.

“Hi, Jasper,” his Asian friend replied as if this were criminals/mutants anonymous. “I’m Monty Green.”

“Hi Monty,” Jasper greeted, replicating his friend’s antics.

Monty continued, “I have infinite knowledge of plants and can know their properties simply by touching them.  I was imprisoned for the unauthorized production of unauthorized drugs.”  The two boys looked eagerly at the rest of the delinquents; apparently, they were sincere in this routine.

Everyone shuffled awkwardly and made no move to follow the example of the two boys, choosing instead to just glare at everyone in the vicinity.

“Let’s see,” Jasper said looking around the group before settling his gaze on Clarke.  “You’re…”

“Clarke,” Monty supplied.  “That’s what Jaha called her.  And we know she’s been named a traitor because _she wanted to do something that any decent human being would want to do and let people know they’re standing on death’s door_ ,” he elaborated on her crime with a pointed look at the Chancellor.

Jasper continued their description of her while Clarke stood by with her arms crossed, raised eyebrows, and biting the inside of her cheek.  “And according to Mr. and Miss Assassin over there, she has Healing abilities.”  A thought sparked in his head.  “And Miss Assassin said that he was her _brother_ which would make them the infamous Blake siblings!  But what are their powers…?”

Monty joined him in his musings, “Well, they’re assassins, so probably something that would be useful with that line of work.  Though she did spend most of her life successfully hiding from the authorities, so maybe something her ability helped with that.”

They were cut off by the brother who took a half-step to position himself in front of his sister; a protective move that directly reflected the one Wells had made that had cost him his life when he stepped in front of Clarke to take a bullet. “Why don’t you both shut the fuck up and mind your own fucking business!” he barked at them.

The two boys immediately closed their mouths and looked slightly cowed.

“Excellent,” Jaha said with a single clap of his hands.  “You will be on Earth by this time tomorrow.” He walked back through the archway through which he came; a chorus of disbelief and denial following in his wake.  But before anyone could struggle or protest too much the guards surrounding them released fire; it seemed the guns had been loaded with tranquilizer darts, not metal bullets.


	2. On the Ground

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Great,” the shaggy haired criminal groaned. “We all gain consciousness just in time to die screaming in a fiery ball that explodes into Earth.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I was so excited to work on this story and then I come down with a case of writer’s block on how to get it off the ground…awkward. Nevertheless, thanks to those who had faith in me anyway and read and followed this story. And as always thanks to my beta, TheAmazonian, who makes sure the story actually sounds good and makes sense.

Clarke awoke up with a pounding headache, ringing ears, and a crick in her neck.  Disoriented, she tried to gain her bearings and was greeted by the sight of herself and the other prisoners from the yard strapped into seats in a clunky metal ship that was currently hurtling through space.  Everyone looked at each other, clearly sharing the same disorientation she felt.

“Great,” the shaggy haired criminal groaned.  “We all gain consciousness just in time to die screaming in a fiery ball that explodes into Earth.”

As if to annunciate his words the ship lurched as they entered the atmosphere.  The next thing they knew wires started popping from their connections and sparking, the rockets and parachutes weren’t timing or releasing properly, and alarm bells sounded throughout the ship.  Everyone looked around panicked; apparently Mr. Snarkpants was right in his prediction:  they were all going to die in a fiery explosion.  The Latina evidently had other ideas and started swearing profusely, yelling, “Get this fucking thing off me and I can stop it.”  Everyone looked at her, confused.  “Help me get the fucking bracelet off and I can help the ship drop smoothly!” she screamed at them.  “I’m techno-kinetic!  I can control metals and technology! Get the fucking bracelet off!”

This finally spurred everyone into action; each looking frantically around for anything that could help pry the metal from her wrist.  Clarke spotted a loose stick of metal just over to her right.  It had clearly broken off of something when the ship started to go heywire, and it just might work.  She pulled against her restraints trying to reach for it, her fingertips barely brushing it.  She stretched further but still couldn’t grasp it.  The guy next to her, still wearing his beanie, unfastened his restraints and took the few steps out of his seat to get it.  “Are you crazy! You’re going to get yourself killed!” Clarke yelled at him.

He ignored her and grabbed the metal, tossing it across the space to the man who was sitting next to the Latina.  The assassin, Bellamy if she remembered correctly, caught the bar with ease and wedged it under the bracelet, holding down the girl’s arm. “This is probably going to hurt like a bitch,” he informed her.  With a sharp movement from him and a loud curse from her, the bracelet snapped off.  The girl immediately slammed both hands against the walls of the dropping ship.  Wires moved on their own accord back to where they were supposed to be, parachutes launched, and the landing rockets ignited.  The ship jolted again, the guy who was still out of his seat slammed into the wall of the ship.  Clarke strained against the belts holding her in her seat, trying to see if he was alright.

“I thought you said you could control this thing!” Goggles/Jasper screeched, panic evident in his voice.

“You wanna try?” she barked back.  “This ship is huge and complicated, not to mention I haven’t been able to use my power in nearly a year!”  He immediately shut up, but his face still showed his anxiety.

After several minutes of people silently watching the Latina’s face of concentration, Clarke constantly trying to get a better view of the guy who was thrown and pulling uselessly at the metal encircling her wrist, the ship gave another sharp jolt, yanking everyone against their restraints, before ceasing motion.  Without wasting a second Clarke was out of her seat and checking for a pulse.  She found one, weak, but still there; he was unconscious with blood flowing from an injury on his head.  She lost the pulse for a second. “Get this damn bracelet off me,” she screeched, a near echo of the earlier words of the Latina. 

The girl reached for Clarke’s outstretched wrist and tried to use her powers to get the bracelet to release.  “I thought maybe I could work at it from this side.  Apparently not,” she said and moved aside for the Mr. Tall, Dark, and Assassin who was wielding the same piece of metal that he used to release the techno-kinetic.

“Like I said before, this will probably hurt.”

“Unless you want him to die, get it off now,” Clarke snapped angrily.  After Wells’ death, she vowed to herself that no one would die uselessly while she stood by idle; and if she lost this kid because of some stupid, fucking bracelet, she was literally going to murder someone.  She hissed in pain as the bar of metal dug into her skin to find the leverage to pop the bracelet.  She wasted no time turning her attention to the injured party, reaching deep into herself to the river of calm and healing and sent the flow out through her hands.  “Fuck, fuck, FUCK!” she shouted when it didn’t work.  “Get his off too! It’s not working!”  When Bellamy wasn’t quick enough for her, Clarke snatched the bar and pried the bracelet off of her patient’s wrist.  She threw the piece of metal to the side and plunged quickly back into her pool of healing where everything but the problem before her was drowned out.  She drew deeply and all the broken pieces of the human on the floor before her wove back together.

She sat back and caught her breath from the effort it had taken out of her.  The guy in the beanie’s eyes flew open and he sucked in a large breath.  “Just stay lying down for a minute,” she told him calmly, pressing him onto his back down when he tried to sit up.

Everyone seemed to take the minute to catch their breath, finally having a moment to realize they had just survived their drop to Earth’s surface.  Shaggy Hair grabbed the bar from where Clarke had flung it and began attempting to pry his own bracelet off, the angle causing him to struggle.  The Latina laid a hand on it to cease his ineffective efforts.  He glared at her.  “If you don’t want my help…” she said, giving him a look.  He watched her for a moment, judging and coming to a decision, before he relaxed his grip and allowed her to leverage it off his wrist.  Once the metal of the bracelet snapped open, the man rolled his shoulders, brought his hands up and flexed them; a fire emerged over both palms, the flames licking over his fingers.  He released a sigh and settled into what Clarke was beginning to think of as his permanent smirk.

The Latina slowly went to each of the remaining of the group and helped release them from the Ark imposed mobile prison.  Each of them looked as though they could breathe a little easier, relax their shoulders a bit more, and overall feel like they were back to their natural state, fully themselves.  Clarke understood that feeling; when she couldn’t access her powers she felt like part of her was missing, her center of gravity thrown off, the blood not quite flowing properly through her veins.  Well, everyone looked that way except Bellamy; while he did look more comfortable in his own skin, his scowl negated some of that settled feeling others were exhibiting. 

The guy in the beanie was sitting up again.  “Just take it easy,” Clarke told him.  “You might still get a little dizzy.”

“I thought you were a Healer, Princess.  Shouldn’t he be fine?” the scowling man asked.

She glared at him.  “First off, head injuries are always difficult.  And then, when you’re as close to death as he was, it takes a little bit for your body to realize that it’s been put back together.  I don’t make the rules.”

Her former patient’s eyes widened. “Wait, how close to death was I?”

“Honestly?” she asked. He nodded in response.  “If I had been three or five minutes later, there probably wouldn’t have been anything I could have done.”

The one who she remembered was named Monty whistled. “Boy am I glad you’re here.”

Clarke gave him a tight smile.  Then she noticed Bellamy by the door of the ship, about to pull the lever to open it.  “What the fuck?” she yelled.  “The air out there is toxic!  Are you trying to get us all killed?”

“I—we need to get out of here,” he grunted.  “This ship is suffocating with all you people in here.  Plus, if what you say is true and the Ark is dying, we need to see if it’s even possible to survive down here.”

“I can check it out…without opening the door,” Beanie said, a sneaking look in his eye. 

Goggles—Jasper cocked an eyebrow. “You’re a phaser?” he asked, an ounce of excitement in his voice; it was always enticing to see other mutants use their abilities.

Beanie nodded, clearly excited to be able to access his powers again.  “Yup…name’s Miller by the way.  Nathan Miller.”  He stood up and walked in the direction of the door.  He took a deep breath.  “Here goes nothing,” he said and stuck his head through the door.  As much as Clarke knew that there were mutants and that some had powers like Miller’s, it still threw her through a loop to see only the bottom half of a body, his torso disappearing into a solid wall.  Miller pulled his head back after a minute.  “It looks fine to me,” he informed the group.  “I didn’t have trouble breathing or anything.  I say we do this shit!”

Monty and Jasper let out a whoop of exhilaration.  The female of the sibling assassin duo, Octavia if Clarke remembered correctly, who had been surprisingly quiet up till now, gave her brother a questioning look.  He simply nodded and then pulled the lever.  The door whooshed open revealing a forest of green, a green unlike Clarke had ever seen on the ark.  “After you, O,” Bellamy said sweeping his arm towards the open doorway. 

His sister beamed at him and strode out the door.  As her feet settled on the ground, the first to do so in 100 years, she spoke in a satisfied voice, as if challenging anyone of anything to defy her, “We’re back, bitches.”  The rest of their ragtag group soon followed her out, looking around in amazement. 

Monty walked past them all, his face shining with happiness.  He bent down and ran his hand over the green carpet in front of him, his other hand reaching for the tree.  “There’s so much life,” he whispered.  He immediately ran from bush to bush, plant to plant, running his fingers over flowers and leaves.  “There’s so much here that we never thought there would be, so much potential,” he muttered under his breath.  Clarke felt a smile pull at her lips at the boy’s innocent wonder; he looked like a child released into a new play place with hundreds of toys he’d never seen before.  _And_ , she guessed remembering his ability with plants, _that’s exactly what this was for him_.

Everyone started dispersing into the trees surrounding the area where the dropship had landed.  Octavia and Bellamy in one direction, Monty and Jasper in another, Miller, the techno-kinetic Latina, and the shaggy haired one with fire abilities in three more.  Clarke shook her head and huffed a laugh.  Thelonious Jaha had gotten his wish, the ragtag group of Abled criminals was on the Earth, and, at least so far, it seemed survivable.  However, the Chancellor had failed to account for one thing:  what was their motive for staying together?  Surely it was easier to just look out for only themselves and it wasn’t like they owed each other anything.  Clarke sighed and opted to look in a different direction than the others; she looked up to the sky that had until yesterday been her home.  She had to say, this view of it wasn’t so bad at all; in fact, she was pretty sure she preferred it to the dark view with which she had grown up.

Just then a loud crack rang throughout the sky, followed by a low rumble.  She had spoken too soon.  The sky darkened suddenly and a freezing rain began to pelt down on them; Clarke was soaked to the bone in seconds.  Another strike of lightning and thunder—if her Earth Skills terms were to be remembered correctly—crashed through the sky and an unbelievable wind tore through the trees, whipping Clarke’s blonde hair across her face.  As she moved to the dropship to get out of the rain, she spotted the four boys all sprinting back from the directions they had gone, the Latina reaching the ship just ahead of them.  Seconds later, she saw the sister assassin pulling on her brother’s arm who seemed reluctant to go to the ship despite the torrential downpour.  “Come on, Bellamy,” she begged him.  “It won’t be _that_ bad.”

Clarke watched from the door of the ship. “Hurry up,” Clarke said impatiently, the wind and rain still assaulting her, it having just turned sideways and was now angling into the ship.  “I’m closing this door, and unless you want to catch pneumonia or hyperthermia, I suggest you be on the other side of it.”  The sister tugged harder at the brother.  “I can tell you the symptoms if it’d make you go any faster,” Clarke taunted.  She could say for certain her first experience with Earth’s weather was not a pleasant one.  Finally, the siblings were inside and Clarke moved the lever to close the door, wincing as she did so.  She had spent her whole life trapped in a giant metal space-station and after five minutes of experiencing something different, here she was, back in an enclosed metal box.

“Tell me about it,” Bellamy murmured under his breath. 

Clarke narrowed her eyes in confusion.  “The symptoms of pneumonia and hyperthermia?”  He simply rolled his eyes and walked away, not saying a word.  _Ass_ , she thought to herself.

Off to one side of the ship, Monty was excitedly telling Jasper about all the new plants he had found.  On the other side, the Latina was handling a bunch of wires at what Clarke believed to be the communication center of the ship.  The girl turned around to look at everyone.  “All these wires are completely fried.  There’s no way to reach the Ark.”

“Good,” said Bellamy, his sister nodding her agreement.

At the same time the shaggy haired pyrotechnic snorted.  “I thought you said you were techno-kinetic.”

The Latina did not take to this second remark kindly.  “Yeah, but the drop completely _fried_ the wires; they’re useless.  If they were the least bit salvageable I think I would know,” she snarled at him.  “Given time to rework the system in here, pulling connections from other places, I can get us back online, but it’s going to take some time for even me to figure out what’s workable.”

“And here I thought they would only send useful people down in our merry band of criminals,” he retorted snidely.

“So, you would have preferred I not used every bit of available wire and powering to make sure we didn’t explode during the landing?  I’ll remember that next time,” she glared at him. 

While these two continued trading cutting remarks, Clarke whirled on Bellamy tearing into him for his comment.  “Did you not hear what I said back in the Ark?  If we don’t get in contact and tell them the air isn’t toxic, they’re going to continuing breathing in increasingly contaminated air as the oxygen circulation system dies.”

“Yeah, and what has the Ark ever done for me?” Bellamy retorted, taking a step into her personal space.  “Unlike the privileged class,” he said spitefully, clearly indicating to her, “some of us never had it easy, were never taken care of by the Ark.”  Clarke jutted out her chin and stared him down.  “Some of us simply wanted to be able to take care of our family, our _entire_ family,” referring to his sister who according to Ark Law should never have existed. “but, the Council decided that was wrong.  They had no problem executing my mom, and if they had caught me and Octavia a few years ago, we’d have been floated too.  But instead they decided to send us down here to where they probably assumed we would die anyway, just so they could do some sick, twisted experiment.  They deserve to die.  My only wish is that the _entire_ privileged class was up there to suffer.”  The glare in his eyes has he stared her down, left no doubt in Clarke’s mind that he was thinking of her.  It was no secret that the girl in solitary was the daughter of one of the highest ranking Council members; Jaha’s friendly greeting of her when they had been in the skybox, probably didn’t help. 

Clarke pushed herself further into his space, jaw clenched with anger.  “Don’t even think for one moment that you know who I am or what I’ve gone through.  My dad was floated too, so don’t pretend that you’re the only who knows that pain.  And it’s not just the privileged and the Council who are going to die up there, it’s the farmers, and the line workers, and the children.  Are you going to sentence children—children who don’t know even what’s happening or that they only have maybe, _maybe_ , three months left—to death when it could have been prevented?  Because you may be a self-centered, vindictive, jackass, but the way you acted when you first saw your sister, that shows that there is a least a shred of humanity left in you!” 

After finishing her tirade, Clarke stalked away from the group and climbed the ladder to the second level of the dropship.  She kicked the wall in anger.  After all she had gone through? after all that her father and her best friend died for?  And it still wasn’t enough to save the people of the Ark.  And that fucking jackass downstairs—she was so angry her thoughts dissolved into furious sputters; her scream of frustration was echoed by the wailing winds outside the ship.

After taking a few deep breaths in attempt to settle herself, Clarke looked around the room.  She had always been one of those people that worked her anger and frustration out best by doing something.  In this scenario she figured she could take a quick inventory of the things with which they had been sent down here.  The whole place was trashed as a result of the rough landing.  She started in one corner and because sorting through things.  By the time she had gotten to the final corner of the second floor, mostly calm by now, the useful things she had found included a small pile of thin, holey blankets (one each), a very measly supply of nutrient packs (again, one each), two walkie-talkies that would probably need Raven’s touch to get working again, and an empty first aid kit because apparently Clarke would be present and able to Heal every injury. 

She then moved to the last jumble of things; here she discovered a large piece of rolled paper.  Taking it out, she spread it on the floor and revealed a map of what she assumed to be the area in which they had been dropped.  There was a large expanse of trees with a stream running through the center.  She wished she could explore more outside to figure out exactly where they were.  She noticed a specifically noted peak on the map:  Mount Weather.  There were annotations that accompanied the mark:

 

_Mount Weather – underground facility made to withstand nuclear war;  
will have supplies_

 

Outside the storm still waged, rain pattering heavily against the metal of the ship, wind howling.  Clarke was staring at the map, trying to familiarize herself with it, when Monty poked his head up the ladder.

“Ummm…Clarke, right?  I was nominated to come get you…we were trying to decide what we should do with being down here and all that…”

Clarke jerked her head up at the interruption.  She sighed, she had pouted enough.  “Well, based on what they sent us down with, they didn’t hold out much hope for us,” she scoffed and re-rolled the map before following Monty down to the first floor where the rest of the group were lounging in a rough circle, though they all kept a distance from each other.

She looked around and for all the talk of the Kumbaya circle, no one seemed to be making any move to act on the notion.  Clarke rolled her eyes, _Well, if nobody else would…_ “So, when I was up there,” she gestured vaguely toward the ladder and began to unfurl the paper in her hands, “I found this map.  Now, I don’t know where exactly we are, but I think they were hinting that we could find supplies here, at Mount Weather.  I think as soon as this storm lets up, we should make for it.”

“Who put you in charge, Princess?”  Bellamy questioned stonily.

Clarke lifted her gaze from the map and stared at him.  “The fact that no one else is stepping up to make any solid plans for survival,” she snipped before adding, “and my name is Clarke.”

“You make it sound like we’re sticking together,” the shaggy pyro-kinetic droned.  “As soon as I can see where I’m walking and not be drenched, I say it’s every man for himself.”  The Latina coughed and gave him a pointed look.  “Okay, or woman for herself,” he amended.  After a short pause and a leer, he added.  “Though I wouldn’t mind helping you stay warm at night during the winter months.  And I’m not just talking about with fire.” She responded by flipping him off with an unamused expression.

“Anyone is free to go if they want,” Clarke told him.  “I’m just saying that we have a better chance together.  There has to be a reason Jaha chose each of us to send down,” she reasoned.  “Oh, and if you do leave and fall down a cliff or something, do not come looking to me to Heal you.  Because I won’t.”  Clarke knew it was a lie when she said it; she knew she couldn’t knowingly let someone be hurt or die when she could change it, but this was a group of hardened criminals and she sure as hell wasn’t going to let them think she was weak.

Miller spoke up, “She’s right.  There has to be a reason each of us were sent down.  Jaha might be cruel and insane, but he always has at least some twisted logic to his actions.”

Jasper and Monty were nodding their heads approvingly.  “Yeah, well we all know why Clarke is down here.  And Miss Latina technological genius over there.”

“Raven Reyes,” she supplied brusquely.

Jasper continued, “And of course, Monty is making sure we don’t poison ourselves.”  He looked around the room.  “Mr. Every Man for Himself equals heat and cooking fires, etc.”

They looked at him expectantly for a name.  He just grunted and glared down anyone who decided to go for direct eye contact to try to pull his name out of him.

“Hmmm, guess we’ll just have to come up with a good nickname then,” Jasper commented, unfazed.  “Mr. Every Man for Himself is too long…Mr. EMFH?”

“Dude, no!” Monty said vehemently.  “You definitely have to include something with pyro-kinesis.” The two began throwing possible nicknames back and forth.

“Fire Man?”

“The Human Torch?”

“Inferno?”

“Heatwave?”

“Flameo?”

“Master Melter?”

“Flame Fever?”

Clarke couldn’t help the laughter that was bubbling up as the names become more and more ridiculous, especially when she glanced over at the man in question and you could see the anger and aggravation building in him.

“Snarky Sparky?” Monty supplied.

“Murphy!” the pyrotechnic finally yelled, clearly having enough of the two’s antics. “John Murphy.  But if anyone calls me John, I will roast you so quick, Little Miss Healer Princess won’t be able to fix you.”

“Was that so hard?” Jasper asked.

“Anyway, moving on.  We’ve got Miller who can just walk into places like Clarke’s Mount Weather or any of those underground bunkers people supposedly made before the world went to shit and bring back supplies.”

“I can get a sense of a place too,” Miller offered.  “Like just by standing here I can tell you there are three levels to this ship and exactly how each is laid out and that the only movement is down on this level with the eight of us.”

“Sweet!” Jasper exclaimed.  “Wait, how am I useful?” he questioned.

Clarke tried to remember what he said his power was back when they were talking on the Ark; something like super-strength when he was angry.  Monty gave him a sad look.  “Probably protection or enforcer or something,” he told his friend.

Jasper’s face fell for half a second.  Then he was bright and cheery, joking, “It’s like Jaha doesn’t know me at all!”

“And that leaves the assassin siblings,” Miller said.  Everyone turned to look at the two who were pulled back in the recessed corner, near enough that they were part of the group, but far enough that they were disassociating themselves.

The younger girl took a step forward and spoke up, “To prevent any unflattering nicknames before they can start,” she said pointedly before chuckling and muttering “Snarky Sparky.” She continued, “My name is Octavia Blake.  My ability is shapeshifting/camouflage; I can blend into my surroundings and make it seem like I’m not there.”  She looked expectantly at her brother who simply stood with his arms crossed and made no move to introduce himself or explain his ability.  “It’s not like they won’t find out,” Octavia told him.  He raised an eyebrow. “Well then, since my brother apparently lost the ability to speak, his name is Bellamy.” She took a deep breath and looked at her brother who was none too happy that his sister was speaking for him.  “He hears people’s thoughts.”

“Someone hearing your every thought,” Raven muttered dryly, voice ringing with sarcasm.  “That’s great for team dynamics.”  She perked up suddenly.  Cocking her head to the side she made direct eye contact with the man from across the room.

Bellamy shook his head.  “No,” he said questioningly, her clearly having thought a question. 

Raven’s mouth pulled into a sneaking smile. “Good” she said aloud.

“What?” Octavia asked her.

“I’m going to train myself to only think in Spanish when he’s around,” Raven supplied happily. “My thoughts are my own,” she asserted.

Octavia started laughing, “If only I could do that.  Do you know how hard it is to grow up when there are literally _no secrets_ between you and your older brother?”

Clearly the younger of the siblings was much more open to other people, than the elder, Clarke thought to herself.  Then she made a face and looked at the very man about whom she was thinking.  “Do you hear _every_ thought?” she asked him suspiciously.

He looked at her and quirked an eyebrow, a smirk arising on his lips. “I hear them all, but I don’t necessarily listen to them.  Hate to break it to you, Princess, but my day doesn’t revolve around paying attention to you and your thoughts; not that that pretty little blonde head of yours probably has anything remotely interesting going on in it.”

Clarke brought to the forefront of her mind every curse and rude gesture she could think of.  “Did you listen to that?” she asked as a soft simpering smile alighted her face.

He smiled ruefully, “That one was a little hard to ignore.”

“Good.”

 

...

 

Well over an hour later, the wind lost its howl and the smattering of rain against the metal of the ship ceased.  Raven walked over to the door and pulled the lever revealing a thoroughly soaked view of the forest.  “Well, Murphy, here’s your opportunity, storm’s gone.  Off you can go on your merry way,” she told him.

Clarke watched him look at Bellamy and narrow his eyes at the amused expression he saw there. “Well, I might as well stick around, at least until I know my way around and find a better place to live.”

Clarke huffed a laugh and trod out the door.  She walked a little way down a self-made path until she came to an overlook and tried to orient their location on the map she held.   She looked across the expanse of woods, dipping down into a valley before rising into a mountain.  She glanced down at her map.  Then shaking her head, she pulled a marker she had found in the dropship from her pocket and drew an “X” on their current location; it was at least a twenty-mile hike to Mount Weather and by the angle of the shadows, it would have to wait for tomorrow. 

She regarded the horizon and then sat down on the ground, her feet dangling over the edge of the ravine on which she was sitting.  Sure, she knew she should probably be organizing and preparing for the night or the trip to Mount Weather, but for the moment, she was content to take in the view of her first sunset on Earth.  She could deal with everything else later.


	3. We Are Not Alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "We’re not alone; there are other people surviving here and they are hostile, aggressive, and have weapons.”

Clarke awoke to the sound of footsteps echoing across a metallic surface.  _It’s not time for morning slops_ , she thought to herself, _That’s usually not until mid-morning._ She opened her eyes and was surprised for a moment that she wasn’t in her cell in solitary confinement; then she remembered exactly where she was:  the ground, Earth.  She had a feeling it would be a while before that fully sunk in.  She uncurled from her spot and folded her threadbare blanket.  She should probably take a look outside and try to plan the route to Mount Weather; they should leave as soon as enough people were up to make the trip.

She padded her way out the door and stopped short at the sight of broad shoulders and dark curly hair looking in the direction of the sunrise.  Her nose curled up in disgust at the aggravating man whose simple presence was ruining the quiet morning she had planned to have before the others awoke.  Then again, it had been footsteps that had woken her and they had to belong to someone.  But why _him_?

He released a low chuckle without turning around. “Has anyone ever told you, you think extremely loud, Princess?”

“Just assholes who don’t know how to mind their own damn business and keep out of my head,” she retorted snarkily.

“Hey, I didn’t listen for you; you just kind of threw hateful thoughts directly at my back.  So, really the fault is all yours.”

Clarke scoffed and brushed past him toward the same ridge she had sat on last night.  “Stay out of my head, Blake,” she called over her shoulder.

She spent the next hour or so on the ridge looking at the map and charting a basic path from their location to Mount Weather.  It would likely take all day to get there and back and that was if they were lucky; they should probably plan for a two-day trip at the minimum.  She returned to the dropship and was happy to see everyone milling about while Raven tinkered with the walkie-talkies and Monty added to a pile of berries; Murphy was rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand like he had just woken up.

Upon seeing her, Bellamy stood up.  “Well, now that everyone is up, we need to talk about going to Mount Weather.”

“I told you to fucking stay out of my head, Blake,” Clarke sniped through gritted teeth.

“That was actually my own thought, but thanks for trying to take credit,” he told her dryly.  She simply glared in return.  “We also should figure out who’s going on the trip to Mount Weather and who’s staying here to set up base camp.”

“No,” Clarke disagreed curtly.  “We should all go to Mount Weather; going there and getting supplies is how we’re going to survive.”

“And how do we know the supplies are still there? How do we know they’re even useful?  Does your little note tell you what supplies Mount Weather has?  Or how to get to them?  That note was made about a place that no one has been to in 100 years.”

Clarke grumbled incoherently; he had a point.  But then again, she wasn’t one to give up easily.  “And what if it has everything we need?  They basically dropped us down here with nothing; we need every little bit of resources we have access to!”

“Better the devil you know, than the devil you don’t.  Plus, _you_ were the one going on a rant last night about getting into contact with the Ark.  Do you know if we can do that from Mount Weather?  If we stay here, we at least know that Raven can figure something out with the things we have here.”

“Fine,” she snapped, biting the inside of her cheek to keep from saying more.

“I’m going with Clarke to Mount Weather,” Octavia piped from where she had been sitting.

“O, no.  You don’t know what’s out there.  We don’t know if it’s safe,” Bellamy protested, softening for his sister.

“A, you don’t decide for me; B, I lived my whole life in hiding, now I’m free to roam as far as I want; and C, you have no problem with Clarke going into a potentially dangerous situation.”

“Yeah, because I don’t have a problem with _her_ falling off a cliff or into a river,” he said quietly enough that it was supposed to be directed only to Octavia, but loud enough that Clarke was meant to overhear.

With a stubborn set to her posture and jaw, Octavia stared down her older brother.  “You’re not going to change my mind.”  The two refused to break eye contact for half a minute, before Bellamy relented.  Octavia whooped with a triumphant cheer.  “Who else is coming with us?” she turned to the rest of the group.

“I will!” Jasper volunteered readily and enthusiastically, before he shrank slightly under Bellamy’s glare.  Though he didn’t take back his offer.

“Miller, why don’t you go with them too?” Bellamy half-suggested, half-ordered.  “Assuming you do get there; you would be the fastest at getting a sense of the place.”  Miller nodded once and moved over towards the rest of the group.  “The rest of us will work on setting up camp here.  Raven on the walkie-talkies and other communication, Monty on food, and Murphy and me on making this place seem less like we just dropped out of the sky,” he added the last bit with a wry smile.

Clarke rolled her eyes and worked to prepare packs for those going to Mount Weather.  Within the next hour, they were on their way out of camp.  As they trudged along, mostly silent, Clarke kept her mind on the end goal of Mount Weather, speculating on what it would have to offer them and if there was any chance Bellamy was right and that they would find nothing.  She nearly plowed into Miller’s back when he stopped abruptly in front of her.  Then Jasper did run into Clarke, his eyes having been glued to Octavia as she spun and meandered around trees, soaking in the fresh air and new surroundings.

Clarke let out a squawk of protest, but Miller shushed her with a wave of his hand and pointed toward the clearing up ahead.  She redirected her gaze and saw her first sign of life on Earth, well first sign of animal life.  There was a deer in the clearing, calmly munching on grass, but at her squawk it had lifted its head.  Octavia let out a small gasp, having come to see what all the fuss was about and the deer turned in their direction; the entire group took a step back at the reveal of the second face of the deer.  Apparently the last 100 years of radiation had led to some mutations of a more visceral variety than those with which they were familiar on the Ark.  The deer sprinted off, leaving the group gaping in its wake.

“Well, that was unexpected,” Jasper said, stating the obvious.

“But at least it proves there’s other life on the planet, and that it’s survivable long term,” Clarke added.  “I had been wondering about that.”

“I thought radiation killed quickly,” Jasper voiced.

“At extreme levels, yes.  But I was worried about long term exposure.  I know we have been exposed to solar radiation over the generations of living on the Ark—that’s where our abilities are thought to come from—but I was worried about the nuclear radiation slowly deteriorating our bodies,” she paused and thought.  “I might still ask one of you to let me just do a quick scan to see if it’s affected us in a couple days, just to make sure.”

“And here I thought we were all free and happy down on Earth,” Octavia said sarcastically.  “Good to know Bell’s not the only worrywart.”

Clarke pursed her lips and shook her head.  “Well, we need to keep going if we’re going to reach Mount Weather and supplies.” She marched forward again with purpose, leaving the others to follow her. They just needed to get to Mount Weather and then they could have a better chance at survival…she hoped.

 

...

 

They hiked for one or two more miles before they reached the river Clarke had noted on the map and drew to a close, unsure of how to cross; living in space did not go hand in hand with knowing how to swim.  Travelling along the shore looking for a better spot to cross, they finally came to a narrower place.

“Here looks doable,” Miller pronounced.  “Maybe we can use these vines to swing across.”  He gestured at the foliage on the slight rise above them.

“I’ll do it!” Octavia volunteered.  Clarke was unsurprised; of all the people who had come down, Octavia was by far the most adventurous and willing to try new things.

She had just clambered onto the rise of stones and grabbed the vine when an arrow shot out of nowhere, narrowly missing her.  Everyone began to panic, ducking down and looking in the direction from, tugging Octavia off the incline.

“Fuck!  Where did that come from?” Jasper exclaimed.

“I thought no one survived down here!” Miller yelled.  “Who’s shooting arrows?”

Just as he spoke another volley of arrows flew through the air.  “Run!” shouted Octavia.  No one needed further prompting.  They took off as fast as they could across the rough, unfamiliar terrain.  Miller’s long legs took him to the front, leading the group. 

“Miller can you sense them like you did in the drop ship?”  Clarke questioned from behind him.

“No,” he answered over his shoulder, not slowing.  “I can only sense confined spaces,” he explained reluctantly.

“Fuck!  Just keep going; maybe we can outrun them,” she called back without much hope.  She heard a shout from behind and glanced over her shoulder, but still saw Jasper and Octavia following.

They continued to run, occasional arrows whizzing past.  When a large tree obstructed their path, Clarke followed Miller on his sharp left turn.  He ran several minutes and then abruptly stopped and took two steps backward.  Clarke skidded to a stop next to him.  “What is it?”

Instead of answering, Miller reached toward the ground and seemed to lift a portion of it and revealed a hollow.  He frantically gestured for Clarke to get in and she wasted no time doing so.  Miller followed her and Jasper forcefully dropped through the opening and into the abandoned bunker.  He let out a pained groan at his rough landing and then a second, not moving from where he landed. 

At his third moan, Clarke rushed to his side; it was then that she noticed an arrow protruding from his right shoulder.  She quickly went into her Healer mindset.  “Don’t move, Jasper,” she told him.  “I’m going to help you.  This is going to hurt.  I’ll pull the arrow out on the count of three.”

Jasper nodded.  “Okay,” he grunted.

She braced his shoulder with one hand and wrapped the other around the shaft of the arrow.  This was always the worst part.  “Alright.  On three, _one_!” she pulled the arrow out with a swift movement.

Jasper let out a cry.  “I thought you said three!” He sounded a mix of physical pain and offense that she had lied to him.

“It’s better if you don’t tense,” she told him.  “You would have tensed on three.  Now shut up so I can concentrate.”  She dove into her place of Healing, seeking out the wound to stitch it back together.  She then encountered something with which she had never before encountered, something seeping from the wound making its way into his blood:  poison.  Stitching a wound back to its natural state is something she knew how to do, removing poison was not.  She startled out of her Healing place in a panic.  “Okay, okay,” she muttered, trying not to doubt herself. “You know the logistics, separate it out like a sieve.  You can sense what should and shouldn’t be in the blood.”

“Everything okay?” Miller asked, concerned.

“Yeah, yeah.  I just haven’t dealt with poison before.”

“Poison?” Jasper asked, voice full of shock.

“It’s okay.  I can do this.” She didn’t know if she was reassuring them or herself.  She settled back into that inner sanctum of peace and Healing, reaching into the river she felt there, she worked to manipulate the blood; she strained against the foreign tactic.  Then making sure she believed she was holding the poison outside the wound, she worked to close it.  After she finished, she pulled herself back to the physical world.  “I think that went well,” she said, the statement coming out more as a question as she felt something dripping from her nose.  She lifted her hand to it and came away with blood. Then the world around her faded to black.

 

* * *

 

 

Bellamy watched as Octavia left the dropship with Miller, Jasper, and the princess.  He could sense Octavia’s thrill and excitement to be on the ground with the whole world open to her.  _Bye, Bell!  Be good!_ She thought back to him.  He smiled and waved, glad for his sister’s freedom which outweighed his stress at being on a strange, new planet.  Just as they were disappearing from view, he was hit by a wave of determination from Clarke.  He shook his head in annoyance and a little amusement, noticing that it wasn’t just determination to survive or find Mt. Weather, but also to prove him wrong.  She was the loudest thinker and most mentally emotive person he had ever encountered with his ability.  She kept telling him to get out of her head, but it was really more her fault than his.

As half their group walked further and further into woods, the roar of thoughts in his mind lessened.  He breathed out in relief.  As much as his ability was a part of who he was and he felt like he was missing a limb when they had forced the bracelet on him, it was always a bit overwhelming, voices constantly clamoring for his attention.  It was much quieter with just the eight of them than it had ever been on the Ark, but it also made it more difficult to keep the others’ thoughts as only monotonous white noise, rather than individuals with distinct thoughts and feelings.  And that didn’t even account for Clarke practically shouting her thoughts at him half the time.  Raven’s Spanish definitely added a little spice to the bombardment of thoughts, though she would still revert back to English on occasion, especially when speaking to the group.

Shortly after the four departed for Mount Weather, he left Raven to the walkie-talkies, Monty to gather more edible plants, and Murphy to create individual tents or at the very least sections of the dropship if there weren’t enough materials—they would end up killing each other if no one ever had their own place of privacy.  He took it upon himself to scout the area more thoroughly than they had yesterday.  And if it happened to put a little more distance between himself and the thoughts of the other three back at camp, so be it.

He walked quietly through the trees, taking in his surroundings.  He came across a bubbling spring and followed it as it became a small stream and then a wider creek before opening into a small watering hole; that would definitely come in handy, fresh water was always important.  As he continued quietly on his way, a small creature scampered across his path causing him to jump.  It seemed that Earth wasn’t completely unpopulated after all and maybe he could get his first taste of real meat.  But that could be a worry for tomorrow; he’d have to find something he could use to hunt, and his goal for today was scouting anyway.  Thus he continued on his way, making a wide perimeter around their central camp.

He returned when the sun was getting low on its descent, non-artificial days and nights were definitely going to be something he could get used to.  As he neared camp, he was again flooded with the thoughts and feelings of Raven, Murphy, and Monty.  His scouting had kept him close enough to know that they were alive and well, but far enough that he couldn’t make out any particular thoughts.  Currently Raven was emanating frustration and anger, her thoughts a string of what he assumed were curses (he might end of learning Spanish just from being around her too long), while Murphy was mostly wry amusement; Monty was quietly thinking _I’m just going to go back out and collect some more fruit_ , wary of the other two _._

As he got closer he could hear the yelling of a rather pissed of Raven.  “Are you fucking kidding me, Murphy?  Are you supposed to be setting up tents or something?  I’m trying to get some work done!”

“Are you saying I’m distracting?  I knew you couldn’t resist my charms,” he replied.  “The tents are set up the best I could do anyway with just me.”

“Then go collect wood for a fire or something and get out of my hair!”

“I don’t need wood for a fire or did you forget that already?”

“What are you going to make yourself into a bonfire and then we’re all going to just gather around you in a circle for warmth? Because I was freezing last night and those blankets the Ark gave us don’t do shit.”

“Babe, all you had to do was ask.  I would have warmed you right up.”

“You’re a pig, Murphy!”

Bellamy cut in as he entered the dropship to find the two of them practically nose to nose, Murphy leaning casually against the ladder leading to the second floor, Raven leaning into his face, hands clenched into fists, the very picture of rage.  “Murphy,” he barked. “Why don’t you show me what you did with the tents and let Raven get back to the walkies?”

Murphy scowled at him from over Raven’s shoulder.  “And why should I listen to you?”

“I’m pretty sure Raven is about to gut you like a fish and the princess isn’t here to put you back together right now.”

Murphy looked like he was contemplating his options, but pushed off from where he was resting and casually stepped around Raven, nudging her shoulder slightly with his own and tossing her a smirk.  Bellamy followed him out of the ship.  He heard Raven muttering under her breath as she made her way back to the table where the shells of the walkies were lying next to a mess of wires and circuit boards.  He actively drowned out the thoughts she was emoting, but he could still sense them simmering harshly beneath the surface.

Shortly after he and Murphy took a look at the shelters the latter had built and they both brought back some wood for a fire (Raven had made a good point), he could feel the thoughts of the others returning to camp from their trip to Mount Weather.  He tuned in closer to figure out why they were coming back so soon—Clarke had said they probably wouldn’t be back till tomorrow—and was anxious to realize it was only Miller and Jasper, both of whom were thinking worried and frightened thoughts.  He keyed on one of Jasper’s that the boy seemed to be repeating to himself in reassurance: _Stay calm._   _It’s not our fault his sister can hide so well and we couldn’t find her and she didn’t respond to our calls, right? Stay calm.  He won’t murder us, right?  Stay calm.We needed to get back and tell them.  Come on, you’ve got this Jasper.  Just remember to **stay calm!**_

It was then that he noticed that Octavia’s thought pattern wasn’t anywhere nearby and he began to panic. _His sister, his responsibility_. How could he have let her just go off?  What if she was hurt?  If she was hurt, why didn’t the princess Heal her?  It was then that he became aware that he didn’t hear Clarke’s overly loud thoughts either.  He listened harder and felt her thought pattern, but it was muddled and barely a whisper. 

He jerked his head up as the two men came into view, both were red in the face and looked like they had ran back from however far they had gotten, Miller had an unconscious Clarke held on his shoulder.

“What happened?” Monty asked, standing up and racing over to where they were entering into the makeshift camp.

“It’s not our fault your sister can hide so well and we couldn’t find her and she wouldn’t respond to our calls!  Please don’t murder us!” Jasper spouted at Bellamy in a panic.

“What happened?” Bellamy responded in a strict voice.  Raven was emerging from where she had been working in the dropship, called by the noises.

Miller just kept walking into camp, looking guilty.  “Where should I put her?” he asked.  I’ll explain in a minute; I just want to get her settled.”

“What happened?” Raven asked. “Is Clarke okay?”

“Why are you back so soon? What happened?” Murphy questioned as he turned the corner.

“WOULD EVERYONE STOP ASKING THAT?!” Jasper shouted harsher and angrier than anyone would have expected from him. 

Everyone took a step back in shock, but Monty rushed forward and placed his hands on his friend’s arms.  “Stay calm, Jas.  It’s alright.  We’re just worried.  It’s okay.  Just stay calm,” Monty murmured in soothing tones.

Jasper took several deep breaths.  “Stay calm,” he repeated after Monty.  It was then that Bellamy remembered what Jasper had said his ability was and simply from the vocal outburst (and accompanying mental assault it gave him), Bellamy knew he never wanted to be on the receiving end of the full manifestation of Jasper’s hulking out.

“Over here,” Bellamy directed Miller, leading him into the dropship and gesturing to a row of seats which he figured was probably the most comfortable thing they had to offer at the moment.  Miller set her down carefully, and looked at her face, concerned.

Everyone had followed them into the dropship and gathered around.  Monty was still speaking steadily to Jasper in soft tones. Miller looked around at everyone.  “Okay.  I’ll start from the beginning.” 

The four who had stayed near the dropship listened as Miller described how they had been attacked by something, or rather someone, while they were about to cross the river; how they had taken off running and were only saved when he had sensed an enclosed bunker under his feet.  “Jasper had been hit with an arrow.  Clarke and I didn’t realize it until he was on the floor of the bunker.  She immediately went to work, pulling out the arrow.” He looked down to the unconscious blonde again.  “She said she hadn’t Healed poison before, but she sounded confident.  After about a minute I watched the wound seal itself and she sat back.  Then her nose started bleeding and she passed out.”

“It’s what happens when you overexert your ability,” Raven spoke up.  “I thought it was going to happen to me when we were landing, and it very nearly did.”

“She’ll be fine though, right?” Jasper spoke up, the first time since his outburst.

Raven nodded.  “She should be; just give her time.”

“You’d think a head wound like Miller’s when we landed would have been harder to heal,” Monty voiced.

“My guess would be it was the new use of her abilities if what Miller said is true; she didn’t know what she was doing and pushed herself too far.”

“What about Octavia?” Bellamy asked before they could get off topic.  He needed to know where his sister was.

Miller looked him directly in the eye.  “We didn’t realize she wasn’t in the bunker with us until after Clarke passed out.  We had thought she was right behind us.  We waited until we thought whoever attacked us wouldn’t kill us as soon as we left the bunker and then we looked everywhere for her.”  Bellamy could sense the remorse in Miller’s words.  “We only came back when the sun started to drop.  We didn’t know what to do with Clarke and we needed to let you all know we’re not alone, that there are other people surviving here and that they are hostile, aggressive, and have weapons.”

“Just take me to where you lost her, where you were attacked.  I need to find my sister,” Bellamy insisted.

“First light tomorrow.  I’ll go with you first light tomorrow.” Everyone turned to where the voice originated.  Clarke, looking pale and exhausted, spoke from her spot where Miller had laid her.  “We’re all going to survive this godforsaken planet if it’s the last fucking thing I do,” she said vehemently. 


	4. Who Are They?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Grounders?”
> 
> “I don’t know, the people who live on the ground. You know, the ones who tried to kill us yesterday.”
> 
> Clarke and Bellamy both rolled their eyes, but Jasper nodded his enthusiasm at the name.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I am still writing this story…it started out with a struggle to write Lincoln because for some reason, no matter the fic, his character causes me difficulties. I actually had most of this chapter written a long while ago, but it turns out that grad school takes a lot of time. Who knew? Basically, year two of grad school has been kicking my butt, so I had to stop working on fanfiction and focus on school this past semester. But hopefully I’ll get back in the swing of things, at the very least for the rest of my Winter Break.

Lincoln had been on a solo hunting expedition when the large metal contraption fell out of the sky.  Everyone had seen it fall for miles around, but his father had always called him a curious child, especially when it came to any stories of the sky.

There was a legend that all those on the ground knew.  A legend that described a man who fell from the sky in a metal box.  This man was said to be from a people who lived in the sky, high above the only world Lincoln knew.  He had always wondered about those who lived among the stars.  But as he grew, he had begun to disregard the legend of Sky People, but when he saw the ship falling, he knew he must explore the truth of the legend first hand.

He had been among the first to see the people emerge from the vehicle from the sky and he would be lying if he said his heart didn’t skip a beat at the first to step out.  A girl, or rather young woman, whose eyes took in the trees with a sense of wonder and adventure.  While he would have happily kept his eyes glued to her, he knew it was his duty to find out about the others who had come with her.  There were eight all together and none looked like they would pose a threat in a fight, especially since they all looked at the trees with the eagerness of children unaware of the dangers that lurked, the dangers that he represented.

Lincoln began to feel drops of rain hit his skin.  With a quick glance at the sky he knew the three Rainmakers of Trikru were working together back home to brew a storm, hoping to drive the newly arrived Sky People back into their metal cabin and allow scouts, such as Lincoln to come home and tell all of what they’d learned.

 

...

 

He watched the Sky People separate, half going out and leaving while the other four stayed behind.  He followed the girl with the fire in her eyes as she left with the gangly man, the dark skinned man, and the girl whose hair shone bright like the sun.  Anya had told them to simply observe the Sky People unless they did something that would bring consequences down on her people and that was what he intended to do. 

He followed the group silently and willed them away from the river.  If they made any move to cross, his people would act; they could not risk the ire of the Mountain Men.  When his girl reached for the vines looking as if to swing across, he held his breath.  Indra lifted her bow and aimed for the girl.  But before she could release, Lincoln fired a shot, purposefully missing her, but not by enough to raise suspicions. 

The four youths ducked behind a rock and then began to run as the crew Lincoln was with shot another volley of arrows in their direction.  The members of his clan pursued the children—for they could hardly be more than that given their innocent wonder.  He watched as someone sunk an arrow into the shoulder of the gangly boy. _Wait,_ he thought, _There’s the dark-skinned one leading, the light-haired girl behind, and the gangly one.  Where’s the dark-haired girl?_ He slowed his pace slightly and backed into the trees, blending into them.  The party he was with assumed he was only going to circle around and try to cut off the group they were hunting, but his intensions were to find the fourth member of the Sky People who had gone on their expedition away from their metal ship, though not for the reason most of the other members of his clan would seek her; he felt a sense of connection with this girl.  For no other reason than he felt he needed to protect this girl who fell from the sky, Lincoln brought his heightened senses into full force in attempt to find her.

 

* * *

 

 

When they were running from the arrows in a panic, startled by the fact they weren’t the only ones on Earth, Octavia had felt a sharp stab in her calf.  She tried her best to keep running, but tripped over a root and took a tumble.  She knew that whoever was shooting arrows was shortly behind and she refused to call out to Clarke, Jasper, and Miller and risk them getting hurt trying to help her.  She had been on her own most of her life aside from Bell and her mom, she could handle herself easily.

She rolled into the underbrush and activated her ability, blending into her surroundings and watched as several people covered in mud and furs hurried past her, bows with notched arrows in hand.  Once she determined they were all gone, she sent up a brief hope that the other three would find safety or otherwise get away and looked down at her calf.  She was greeted by the sight of an arrow with its head buried into her leg. She gritted her teeth and snapped off the length of the shaft so she could more easily move to find a better semblance of shelter than the bush she was sitting in. 

As she tried to get up, she cut off a cry of pain and quickly lifted her weight off her right leg.  She looked around in circles and saw a cluster of fallen trees that looked a little better than her current hiding spot; her abilities were well and good, but the better the natural cover, the easier it was for her to camouflage herself.  She hobbled over to the outcrop, using the trees as support and trying to be as quiet as possible.

She reached it and sat down heavily, her breathing labored.  She took another look at her leg.  Hopefully Clarke was safe and would find her soon, living under the floors for most of her life did not lead to the best first aid knowledge, mostly because she never had the opportunity to get hurt.

Her back stiffened at the sound of someone approaching; the footsteps were slow and measured.  She knew she hadn’t left a trail to her location, her abilities helped her to that end, so how the footsteps were heading perfectly in her direction, she did not know.  She then saw him come into view; he was tall and muscled, and a mask covered his face; his head was swiveling back and forth and if she didn’t know any better she would say he was smelling the air like a wolf tracking its prey.  She sucked in a full breath and held it, but at the noise of her pulling in air, his head snapped toward her with exact precision. 

He cocked his head to the side, trying to find her despite her abilities, if she didn’t know any better, she would say he was looking straight at her.  It eerily reminded her about when she and Bell used to play hide and seek and she would camouflage herself and Bellamy would seek her out by her thoughts.  The man came closer and crouched several feet in front of her.  He tentatively held out his hand in her direction, his palm up; his other hand was held up to show that he was holding no weapons.  He stared steadily into the brush, though his eyes were slightly off focus from where she actually sat. 

Octavia tried to shift her weight and thought about making an attempt at sneaking away, but the pain that shot up her leg as she put weight on it caused her to hiss in pain and lose her concentration on her camouflage for a second.  As a result, the man zeroed in on her, his face calm and sympathetic to her pain.  Yet, despite not knowing for sure where she was, he didn’t move other than the re-directing of his line of sight.  _Well,_ she thought to herself, _if he was going to kill me, he probably could have and would have done so already_.  And she fully revealed herself.

His gaze roamed her body before settling on her leg with the bit of the arrow still protruding from the flesh.  He reached forward to inspect it further, but then abruptly stopped and made eye contact with her as if asking her permission.  For some inexplicable reason, she felt she could trust this strange man and nodded her assent with all the confidence she could muster. 

With one hand he braced her leg and the other he grasped the arrow, he took a deep breath and without otherwise giving her warning, he yanked it from her calf.  Octavia let out a sharp cry of pain the blackness of pain overwhelmed her vision and consciousness.

 

* * *

 

 

Clarke was awoken by someone violently shaking her shoulder.  “Princess, I know you need your beauty sleep, but you said first light and Octavia has been out there all night.”  It was quickly followed by, “Wow, _someone_ is not a morning person.”

“Don’t listen to sleepy Clarke; sleepy Clarke hates everything,” she mumbled and slowly began to extract herself from her sleeping bag, only opening her eyes once it was imperative so to not step on someone who was sleeping next to her; she was greeted by a smirking Bellamy, and returned the facial expression with a glare.  “Though, I have to say, awake Clarke is not your biggest fan either.”

“I’ve already gotten Miller and Jasper awake, so we can head out.  The rest are staying here in case she miraculously shows back up at camp.  Plus, Raven said she’s almost got the walkie talkies working, she giving them an extra range boost.”

“Give me five minutes,” Clarke clipped.

“That’s five more minutes Octavia’s out there alone, with god knows whom,” he replied urgently.

Clarke was about to snap back about how five minutes wouldn’t make that much of a difference with how long she had already been out there alone.  But noted the undeniable worry in Bellamy’s face and kept her mouth shut.

True to her word, five minutes later the group of four were on their way across the landscape towards the patch of woods in which they had lost Octavia the day before.  They trudged along mostly in silence, everyone anxious with the knowledge that they were not the only people on the ground.  When Jasper began to call out Octavia’s name in desperate hope that she would hear and answer, he was shushed.

“You’re going to call the grounders’ attention to us,” Miller told him.

“Grounders?”

“I don’t know, the people who live on the ground.  You know, the ones who tried to kill us yesterday.”

Clarke and Bellamy both rolled their eyes, but Jasper nodded his enthusiasm at the name.

It took them several hours to locate the bunker in which Clarke, Miller, and Jasper had hidden, and another to backtrack to the river, though none ventured close to the edge or into the open space before it.

“Why don’t we split up?  Cover more ground to look?” Bellamy suggested.  “It’ll be easier for me to pick up her thought pattern if I don’t have to tune out the ones that are right next to me.” He gave Clarke a pointed look, likely in reference to her supposedly shouted thoughts.

“Sounds like a great plan,” she replied, dry sarcasm echoing in her voice. “That way we can all get lost, be on our own, and then the grounders can pick us off one by one without the others even knowing we’re in danger.”

Jasper nodded vigorously as he unconsciously reached his hand to the shoulder which had been shot the other day.

“She has a point,” Miller added.

Bellamy growled his frustration.  “Fine.  Then could you please keep your thoughts to a quiet minimum.”

Clarke had read her fair share of fantasy novels on her family’s Ark issued tablet and began to build a mental wall around her thoughts, wondering why she hadn’t thought of this tactic before.

Five minutes later, Bellamy whirled around to face her, a snarl on his lips.  “Sitting in your princess tower, shouting, ‘Wall, wall, wall, wall, wall,’ does not actually do anything, especially when your errant thoughts are walking through the wide open gate of your ‘wall.’”

She simmered. “At least I tried to do _something_ ,” she growled through gritted teeth.  “If you would stay out of my fucking head, we wouldn’t have this problem at all.”

“Trust me, Princess,” he returned. “Your head is the last place I want to be.”

Clarke opened her mouth to respond, when Miller roughly gestured for them to be quiet.  There was a rustling of the bushes and a snap of a branch several yards away.

“Bell?” a quiet voiced called from that direction.

“O?” Bellamy replied, hope filling his voice.

Suddenly, Octavia appeared among the bushes, shimmering into view.

“Goddammit, Princess, if you hadn’t been thinking so goddamn loud, I would have heard her earlier.”

“You have got to be fucking kidding me!  You’re putting this on me?”

Bellamy ignored her and stalked forward.  Miller and Jasper followed at his heals, eager to see if Octavia was alright.  Clarke threw up her hands and trailed shortly after the three men.

“You’re hurt,” Bellamy was saying as Clarke stepped into the circle.  Clarke eyes zeroed in on Octavia’s calf which was carefully wrapped in cloth.

“I had help.  One of them, he helped patch me up.”

“Miller said the arrow was poisoned.”

“Yeah, the guy, he gave me the antidote and helped me find to you guys.”

“How do you know he gave you the antidote?  Maybe he just gave a different poison or something else that did nothing.  And where is he now?  Clarke check her.  And Heal her so she can walk.”

Clarke glared at him.  “I don’t take orders from you,” she scoffed, but moved toward Octavia anyway.  “Do you mind if I at least take a look?”  she asked the other girl, her voice softened. 

Octavia sighed.  “If it’ll make you feel better.  I do trust him though, that he gave me the antidote and not something else.  He could have killed me if he wanted to, but he helped instead.  He wanted to take me back to the dropship, but I told him Bellamy was more of a shoot first, ask questions later guy, and got him to let me make my way on my own.”

Clarke smiled at her, not understanding how the girl could put some blind trust on a person she just met.  Hell, Clarke couldn’t even trust her own mother or the man she had seen as her second father, both of whom had played a role in her fathers’ death and sending her down here to die.  But sure enough, there was only a trace of the poison left in Octavia’s system and it was being quickly eradicated by another foreign substance that had no other malicious effects.  Clarke moved to stand, but swayed a little on her feet, still not completely recovered from yesterday.

“Aren’t you going to Heal her?” Bellamy demanded.

“Can’t you see she’s not ready after yesterday,” Jasper barked protectively, quickly shrinking when Bellamy turned his glare Jasper’s way before stalking off in the direction of camp, though not without looking back to make sure his sister could follow.

“What happened yesterday?” Octavia asked as the rest of the group made their way through the forest in Bellamy’s wake.

Clarke tried to down play her role in the events, but Jasper jumped in with a full story of their narrow escape and Clarke’s magnificent life-saving heroics.  When Clarke’s protests were overridden, she shrank to the back of the group and made a quick check on how she was holding up physically. Musing to herself, she determined she should to talk to Monty about the local plants’ medicinal properties; if one little bout of poisoning could put her out of commission for over a day, they’d need to have other resources.

 

* * *

 

 

Raven sat in the dropship, the walkie-talkies in pieces before her.  “Just a few more tweaks,” she muttered to herself, as wires flew to make new connections, braiding together.  “And there!” she pronounced proudly and began snapping the covers in place over the innards.

“Finally finish your job, once all the hard work is done?” Murphy drawled from the doorway.

“Because, fixing and boosting walkies from the scraps in this ship was as simple as a piece of pie,” she replied dryly, wondering how a man whose ability allowed him to create and control fire would fare when being electrocuted. “And that’s only half of my job.  I’ve still got to work on somehow making contact with the Ark.”

“Fix the ship in a couple seconds, take two days to put together some walkies?  What, two weeks before you can talk to the Ark?”  He paused, “Wait, that actually works.  Who needs those fly in the sky bastards anyway?”

Raven opened her mouth to retort, but stopped when she heard voices outside the dropship.  Octavia’s voice carried, clearly neck deep in an argument, “What’s wrong with just _talking_ to them?”

“They shot you, O.  They want you dead; they want us all dead” she heard Bellamy respond agitatedly, as if he’d said it several times already.

Raven pushed past Murphy, making sure to knock his shoulder.   His only response was to smirk and follow her to greet the returning people.

Monty had similarly heard their return and was emerging from among the trees, several plants and fruits in the bag he had clutched in one hand.  The Blake siblings were leading the way back to camp, Raven noticed Octavia’s leg was wrapped and she was limping slightly, but she was in no way letting her injury keep her from arguing with her brother.  Bellamy was clearly trying to ignore whatever his sister was pushing, but refused to walk too far or quick ahead of her and kept glancing down at her leg, ever looking out for his sister.

Miller was following behind the two, not saying anything but looking eager to put some distance between himself and the arguing siblings.  And Jasper was hovering over Clarke as she brought up the rear; Clarke, herself, looked maybe slightly out of it, but mostly like she was one “Are you sure you’re okay” away from strangling the man.

“Well, I see you found the little Blake,” Murphy said dryly as he emerged from the dropship.

Octavia abruptly stopped her tirade against her brother.  “ _Excuse_ me?” she said swinging her gaze to Murphy.

“Big Blake,” Murphy replied unfazed, pointing to Bellamy.  “Little Blake,” pointing toward Octavia. “I thought it was pretty obvious.”

“I like it,” Jasper chuckled.  Octavia turned her glare on him. “…or not,” he quickly revised.  “Definitely _not_.”

“That’s what I thought,” she chirped.  She turned to the rest of the group who had gathered in the approximate area.  “I say we put it to a vote.”

Bellamy rolled his eyes.

“What are we voting on?” Monty asked, who had put down his bag near the dropship and joined the rest of them.

Octavia stood tall, “I think that we should talk to the—what did you call them, Miller?  Grounders?”  Miller nodded and she continued.  “One of them helped me, and I’m sure I could talk to him again—I’d just have to find him.  They’ve obviously survived down here and they could help us do the same.”

“Correct me if I’m wrong,” Murphy began, “but they’re the ones who shot Jasper _and you_ with a poisoned arrow.  Doesn’t sound all too friendly to me.”

“It’s probably just some big misunderstanding,” Octavia huffed.  “He helped me.  He gave me the antidote. He _didn’t_ want me to die.”

“Still doesn’t change the facts that it happened in the first place,” Raven spoke up.  “As much as help and knowledge would be great.  I don’t know many people who would try to kill someone one day and then lend a helping hand the next.”

“Maybe the one that helped you, isn’t part of the group that was attacking us, but I still can’t trust that anyone would help us without something in return at the very least, and it’s not like we have anything to offer,” Clarke offered her opinion as she sat down on a nearby log. 

Raven narrowed her eyes at the other girl. Clarke probably shouldn’t have gone off running into the woods this morning; Raven felt rundown enough herself after the saving the dropship and then forcing herself to get the walkies working, Clarke was probably worse off than she was.  Raven walked over to where Monty had dropped off the fruits and grabbed his container of water before going to sit next to Clarke and hand it to her.  She got a tight-lipped, but grateful, smile in return.

Octavia heaved a sigh and mumbled something under her breath. 

Bellamy tried to hide a smirk, “Here’s your vote, Octavia.  All against talking to the grounders?” He raised his own hand which was quickly followed by Murphy’s and Jasper’s, Miller’s a pace behind; after a beat, Raven raised her own.

Clarke seemed to debate with herself before shaking her head.  “Right now, they’re shadows in the trees firing arrows at us and that makes me wary.  I need at least an ounce more of information before I can make a decision.”

“Still five of us against,” Bellamy said.  “And don’t think you can do this on your own, Octavia.  Under no circumstances are you to go off on your own trying to talk to this guy.  Is that understood?”

Octavia didn’t give him a response, or at least not an audible one; though the look Bellamy gave her before she stomped off into the dropship made Raven think he had gotten his own private message from his sister.


	5. Life on the Ground

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Rough day?” he asked gruffly.
> 
> “You could say that,” Raven growled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t know how squeam-worthy the scene actually is, but if you’re particularly squeamish, there’s a chance you’ll want to skip over the latter half of this chapter; there’s blood and some interesting medical procedures following a hunting accident.
> 
> And also, many thanks to TheAmazonian who betas my writings and squeals over Bellarke with me.

The days continued much the same for the following week.  No one ventured too far from the dropship for fear of grounders, and yet Octavia would nag at whomever would give her an ear and try to convince them that not all the grounders were bad.  She would also strategically be M.I.A. whenever Bellamy was too busy to keep a close eye on his sister.  Clarke and Monty seemed to be hitting it off, often huddled around several piles of plants while Monty talked passionately and caringly about each, and Clarke nodded and followed along.  The rest of the boys were on wall building, hunting (well, mostly gathering), and guard/patrol duty. 

And Raven just sat in the dropship and tried to think of a way to rig the communication systems; her Ability might have been techno-kinesis, but that didn’t mean squat unless she knew how to make or control the device in the first place.  Some of it was instinct, another bit was pure genius and talent, but when making something completely new and unfamiliar to her—such as this communications link—most of it was trial and error; she was a Zero-G space mechanic, not a small communications device engineer for crying out loud.  Fixing the dropship as it plummeted to earth was easy, if taxing; it had been what she was trained to do.  The walkies were something she had tinkered with before and she had both ends of the transmission in front of her.  Trying to create something from fried wires and motherboards that would converse with something hundreds of thousands of miles away? Not so easy.

After a spectacularly failed trial, Raven threw the casing for the hard drive of the coms device across the room, nearly hitting Bellamy in the process.

“Rough day?” he asked gruffly.

“You could say that,” Raven growled.  “What do you want?”

Bellamy dismissed her frustration with a roll of his eyes, “Have you seen Clarke?”

“The way you go on complaining about how loud she always is, you’d think you’d be able to find her.”

“Usually, but not today for some reason,” he replied brusquely, slight agitation showing in his voice.

“Missing her without all her thoughts running through the back of your mind?” Raven teased.

Bellamy scoffed. “Hardly.  I just wanted to look at that map she found; I want to explore a little bit out from camp.  With the walls almost finished, I want to see what natural protection we might use further out.”

“Sure, sure,” she nodded her agreement.  “But, yeah, the last I saw of Clarke, she was headed somewhere with Octavia.”

A glint of thought appeared in his eye, “You don’t think they’d…”

“Be talking to Octavia’s grounder friend?” Raven supplied. “She’s your sister.  You tell me.”

Without another word, Bellamy turned on his heel and walked out of the dropship in the direction of the makeshift gate, a determined and angered look plastered on his face. Though he didn’t get very far before Raven heard him exclaim, “There you are!  Where have you been?” He paused for half a second before he added, “I thought I told you that you were not to go out and find that grounder!”

Octavia’s righteous angered followed.  “And I thought _you_ promised that you would never read my thoughts without my permission!”

“I didn’t have to.  Your partner in crime has the most annoying habit of shouting whatever is in the forefront of her mind!” Bellamy responded, his voice still raised.

Clarke joined the fray of noises, “Once and for all, do you want to stay the damn hell out of my head?”

 “More than anything,” Bellamy groaned.  “But it’s you that won’t let me.”

Raven huffed and rose to her feet.  Leaning against the doorway of the dropship she called, “Would you all at least tone it down?  Some of us are trying to get work done.”

She got three sets of narrowed eyes thrown at her, before Octavia widened hers suddenly with a coy smile to match.  “Raven will see reason.  Won’t you, Raven?” she announced.  And right now Raven was wishing she hadn’t gotten up from what she had claimed as her work station.

“I…” she started, not knowing what to say or if there was even a way to get out of yet another argument about talking to the grounders that was about to get underway.

“Please, Raven, just listen to Clarke.  She talked to Lincoln with me and she’s on board now.  And Monty was already for talking to them.  If one more person would just listen to reason, we could possibly not be alone down here.”  

Miller and Murphy chose that moment to come around the corner with armloads of firewood.  Both looked eager to turn back the way they came, but Octavia spotted them before they could make their escape. “Miller!  Murphy!” she called, gesturing for them to join the group.  Reluctantly, they walked over, dropping their loads near the fire pit.

“Are we still discussing that shit about talking with the grounders?” Murphy asked, clearly done with the topic.

“Yes,” Clarke started and Murphy began to turn away.  “Hey!” she barked a command, “hear me out.”  Surprisingly Murphy turned to face her, arms crossed and disinterest marking his face, but he waited to listen to what she had to say.  “I went with Octavia to talk to Lincoln—”

“Which I explicitly told you not to,” Bellamy interrupted.

Clarke fixed him with a scowl, “A) _You_ do _not_ tell me what I can and cannot do.  B) _technically_ , you only told Octavia she couldn’t.  And C) _technically_ , you only said she couldn’t do it _alone_.  So really, no one went against your wishes, not that you even have the fucking right to that authority.” 

Bellamy returned her stare, but said nothing.  The corners of Clarke’s mouth twinge into a satisfied smirk and she continued where she had left off, “Anyway, I think the whole thing was a basic misunderstanding.  From what I could get out of him, Lincoln alluded to something about there being people at Mount Weather that are at war with his people and so they had to prevent us from crossing into the Mountain Men’s territory.”

“And they’re okay with us being in their territory?” Miller raised the question skeptically.

Clarke looked to Octavia, hoping the girl who had spent more time with the grounder had more to say on the topic.  Octavia bit her lip and made a face, “Yeah, so they’re not too happy about that either, which is why Lincoln said we should probably just stay as close to the dropship and not attack anyone or anything.”

“So, you want us to hide like frightened cowards?” Bellamy accused, outraged at the notion.

“No,” Clarke stepped in.  “That is exactly why we need to talk to them.  We need to come to some agreement on how this relationship could work out.  Especially if the rest of the Ark is coming down.  Personally, I’d rather see if this could be peaceful before we start a war.”

“How am I the only one that remembers that they shot and poisoned two of us?  That they tried to kill us?  I wasn’t even one of the people they shot at!  How am I the only one that thinks this is a bad idea?”  Bellamy bellowed.

“Not the only one,” Murphy added. “I’m not generally the one for bowing my head to other people, and definitely not one for dying.  I say we use the little Blake’s grounder friend to get some info and roast these suckers in their sleep.”

“The eight of us against, at the very least, an entire village of people.  Sounds like a solid plan,” Clarke said dryly.  “And I repeat, why start a war before we even have a chance to see if peace is possible?”

Raven had been listening intently and finally spoke up from her perch by the doorway.  “Clarke’s right.”  All heads swiveled in her direction.  “As much as I hate to say it, we should talk to them.  We’re in no position to fight, especially when we don’t know anything about them.”

“Are you forgetting we have Abilities?” Murphy asked.  “I wasn’t kidding when I said ‘roast’ ‘em.”

“And who’s to say they don’t?” she retorted.

“They do,” Octavia piped quietly.  Now, all heads wheeled towards her.  “Lincoln does, at least.  He has like heightened senses or something, enhanced hearing, eyesight, and sense of smell.”

“Great,” groaned Bellamy.  “And just when I began to think we might have a small advantage.”

“So, yeah,” Raven brought it back on point, “I’m switching my vote to potentially talking to the grounders, so with Clarke that makes it a four-four split.”

Ever the diplomat—maybe it had something to do with her upbringing—Clarke spoke up.  “How about a compromise?” She locked gazes with Bellamy to ensure she had his full attention.  “We have a talk with Lincoln; gather some more information about the grounders and see if a peaceful arrangement is even possible.  They haven’t attacked us since we’ve stayed by camp, so maybe there’s a chance that if we don’t bother them, they’ll leave us alone.”

Bellamy looked as if he were debating the pros and cons in his head.  His drew his lips into a tight line, “Would you shut the fuck up, Princess?  I’m trying to think my own goddamn thoughts.”

Clarke gave him a simpering smile, “Nope. I’m using my ‘obnoxiously loud thinking’ as part of my persuasion plan now.”

He growled his frustration.  “Fine!” he finally snapped.  “I’ll talk with the grounder.  But just the one.  He’d better not bring anyone else or attack, because I _will_ kill him if he does.”

 “It’s settled then.  Octavia will figure out when Lincoln can meet next and then we can sit down and have a chat.” Clarke looked pleased with herself.  Bellamy, on the other hand, did not.

 

* * *

 

 

Several days had passed since they had gotten Bellamy to agree to meet with Lincoln.  Clarke wasn’t sure how Octavia and Lincoln were communicating, just that Octavia would occasionally slip away when people were changing shifts at the gate; it was probably made easier by the fact that with only eight people who had other things to focus on like getting in contact with the Ark or collecting food or making shelter, keeping an eye out for grounders and other threats was rather difficult.  So really it shouldn’t have been a shock to hear Miller’s call from near the gate that someone was approaching.

“Let him in!  It’s Lincoln!” Octavia shouted from where Monty was teaching her about medicinal plants.  If Clarke had her way, everyone in the camp would know the basics of medicine, but so far she had only gotten Monty, who was always eager to tell people about the plants and try combining them in new ways, and Octavia on board.

“I can’t believe he just walked right up to the gate like he owns the place,” Bellamy grumbled coming to where Clarke stood with near the fire where she had been roasting one of the rabbits Octavia had managed to catch the other day.

Clarke huffed a laugh, “Well, there’s not really a point in acting like he, and all the grounders for that matter, don’t know exactly where we are.”

“So you think this is a power play?  Him saying there’s no point in trying anything because they can just come wipe us out whenever they want?”

She saw the corners of his lips twitch, at least knowing the sentiment of the words before she spoke.  “I’d like to see them try,” she answered.  She sighed.  “But, if we don’t have to fight, I’d rather not force the option.”  She was about to add something else when Bellamy’s expression darkened upon seeing Lincoln come around the corner with Miller.

He strode forward with angry, determined steps, pulled his fist back, and let it fly, landing a solid punch on Lincoln’s jaw.  “That’s my sister, you fucking piece of shit!” he yelled.  Everyone wore matching masks of confusion.  Clarke watched as Lincoln’s eyes flitted to where Octavia was quickly making her way toward the altercation.  She recalled how the two had interacted, somewhat shyly, but with definite mutual interest, when she had met with Lincoln a couple days ago, and immediately drew the conclusion, wincing slightly on Lincoln’s behalf:  Bellamy was not someone around whom your idle thoughts were safe.

Bellamy’s fist drew back once more, “Bellamy!” she shouted. This was _not_ how she wanted one of their first official meeting with the grounders to go. Plus, Lincoln didn’t seem the type to let a second punch find its mark.  “Bellamy!”  she yelled again, parroted by Octavia.  _BELLAMY!!!!_ she scream-thought.

That one caught his attention long enough for both her and Octavia to reach them.  “Geez, Clarke, that one almost hurt.  It’s like my eardrums are ringing.”

“Take a walk,” she told him through gritted teeth.

“But—” he started.

“Get the fuck out of here, Bellamy,” Octavia echoed.

Lincoln remained impressively impassive during this exchange, though she noted his hands were hovering at the ready should Bellamy try to make another move.

“We agreed we’d talk to him, but since you’re clearly incapable to keeping a level head, we can do this without you,” Clarke couldn’t hide her frustration with him, but she knew he was also getting her worry that he might have just ruined their only chance for a peaceful relationship with the grounders.  She grabbed him by the shoulder and began to steer him away.

He tried to shrug her off, but then, as if godsent, she heard Raven shout, “Eureka!”

“Great,” Clarke smiled.  “You can go talk to Raven about the coms system,” she informed Bellamy, pushing him in the direction of the dropship and returning to Lincoln, Octavia, and Miller.  _Go_ , she commanded him.

“Bossy,” he muttered.  “I didn’t want to talk to that scum anyway.”

She tuned in to hear Octavia saying, “Sorry about my overprotective asshole of a brother.  You have those down here, too, right?”

Lincoln chuckled a little and nodded.  “My brother can be an asshole as well.  It is good to see that yours has found a good balance in his partner.”  The latter part directed at Clarke, but it was Miller who choked back a laugh.

“He’s not—oh, god, no,” Clarke protested vehemently, cringing at the thought of her and Bellamy together in anything but survival, and shook the abhorrent thought away. 

“They’re more like co-leaders,” Octavia told him, also looking displeased with the idea of Clarke and her brother.

“Anyway,” Clarke said, ready for a change of topic.  “We want to know if there is any possibility of a peaceful relationship between our people and yours.”

“Straight to the point. Good,” Lincoln responded.  “I cannot speak for the entirety of my clan—for that you would need to begin by talking to Anya—but I believe that it _is_ possible to find peace.  We are already at war with the Mountain Men and as any fighter knows, it is best to avoid fighting on two fronts if you can.”

They continued their discussion.  Clarke asking after the types of things would be expected of each side of the relationship.  Lincoln was helpful and answered what questions he could, but continually made it clear that _he_ could agree to nothing; to do that, Clarke and her people must talk to Anya. 

Lincoln had just taken his leave when Bellamy came stalking out of the dropship, a man on a mission.  “Let’s do it.  Let’s talk to him, them, whoever we need to talk to.”

Clarke raised an eyebrow.  “Why the sudden change of heart?  You were ready to fight them all with Murphy at your side a few days ago.  I was worried you were going to start on that plan earlier today.”

Raven joined the group, having followed Bellamy out of the dropship.  “We talked to the Ark,” she supplied.  “The Council didn’t seem too happy that we were doing more than simply making sure the land was inhabitable.”

Clarke chuckled, looking at Bellamy. “So, basically, the Ark said ‘don’t do it’ and you said ‘fuck you’?”  The slight grimace she caught on his face, told Clarke she had nailed in on the head, not that she blamed him for having that reaction to the Council.  They were, after all, the people who had literally shot them with tranq-darts and strapped them into a spaceship hurtling toward a potentially toxic planet. 

“Oh, and Clarke?” Raven spoke.  “Your mom is on the coms; she wants to talk to you.”

Clarke jaw set in a hard line.  “She sent me down here without so much as a word; she’s not going to get one now.  I have a meeting with the grounders to think about anyway.” She said, dismissing the message from her mother.  That was one can of worms, Clarke was perfectly content to keep closed.

 

* * *

 

 

All the men were out on a hunt, Clarke had practically pushed Bellamy out of the gate, saying he could use the stress relief of walking around and putting his fighting/hunting skills to good use; what she was thinking was more along the lines of _get him out of camp while Octavia, Raven, and I put the final details on what’s going to happen with this meeting with the grounders._   Bellamy let her think she had got him to go on her volition, but really he didn’t want to chance having another run-in with that grounder scum, who kept thinking about Octavia in ways that no brother should have to witness.  He never would have thought of that advantage of Octavia living under the floors for most of her life, but after he became familiar to how people reacted to his sister, he could definitely live without it.  Luckily, with the group they had, Monty and Miller had no interest in her in that way whatsoever, Jasper was too intimidated to do anything and would immediately shut down his thoughts, and Murphy was fixated on Raven.  Clarke had a passing thought about how beautiful Octavia was, but nothing past that.

But enough of that, he was trying to take his mind off of those things and hunt…and try to tune out the other four people with him.  Luckily, Clarke’s blaring thoughts were receding the further they got away from camp, her mind had already turned to planning for the meeting with the grounders.  He shook his head, for the life of him, he couldn’t figure out why Clarke’s thoughts were more pronounced than any he had ever heard before; he kept saying she was thinking too loudly, but it was more than that, it was more like his brain had picked her thoughts as being important for him to hear and didn’t let him push them back into the white noise as easily as he did with others.

Several feet behind him, Monty and Jasper were quietly conversing about the various types of animals in the area based on the fauna, while Miller walked stoically beside Monty, listening to the conversation, but also keeping a close eye on the surroundings.  Murphy was stalking along at the rear of the group. 

They hiked for roughly twenty minutes in a meandering path before spreading out within shouting distance near a stream that had several game trails leading to it.  Clarke had reminded them to stay close, at least to each other, since they still weren’t 100% sure on how the grounders felt about them, yet.  Bellamy had rolled his eyes and said, “Whatever the princess demands,” but had actually seen the merit of the idea.

He had been quietly waiting for an animal to show its face for nearly an hour when he heard a scuffle ensue from the area in which Monty had gone.  He began to head stealthily in that direction in case Monty didn’t manage to kill the animal, but only send it running.  However, when he heard a sharp and piercing cry of pain, he tripled his pace.  He arrived just in time to see a boar with one of their makeshift spears sticking out of it and blood on its tusk run in the other direction, leaving Monty on the ground a with his stomach and side splayed open, crying out in pain.  Miller and Bellamy were at his side in an instant.  Jasper reached the group a few seconds later and Murphy not too long after that.  The three men who weren’t writhing in pain turned to him for direction, he could hear the panic lacing their thoughts and the sharp, red, throbbing pulse of pain from Monty.  On the latter, within seconds all other thoughts ceased, turning quiet as the red thrived and he dropped into unconsciousness.

“Clarke.  Get Clarke on the radio.  Tell her to get here now!”  Miller said, pulling off his jacket and applying pressure to Monty’s wound.

Bellamy fumbled for the walkie in his pack.  Jasper was now kneeling on Monty’s other side mumbling, “You’re going to be okay.  Clarke will get here and she’ll make you all better.  You’re going to be okay.  I NEED you to be okay.  Monty?  Monty?  MONTY!”  He shouted in desperation, a strange stormy cloud was creeping over Jasper’s mind.  Bellamy looked up in confusion, having never heard that type of thought sensation before, and saw Jasper’s chest heaving with panic and adrenaline.  Jasper got to his feet and began to pace, his breath quickening even more, and if Bellamy dared to say it, Jasper was becoming bigger and bulkier.  “GET CLARKE HERE, NNNOOOWWW!!!” he roared at Bellamy, catching him staring.

Startled to action, Bellamy pressed down the talk on the walkie, “Clarke!”  he paused, “Clarke!...Clarke!”  Bellamy risked another glance at Jasper who was definitely not looking quite like his usual gangly self.  He was now pacing faster, mumbling to himself, and even pressing a divot into the ground along the path he roughly trod.  The storm cloud that Bellamy had sensed coming had almost completely overtaken Jasper’s thoughts.  It was only then that he remembered what how the man had described his ability and Bellamy felt his own panic increase.

“Clarke!” he shouted into the walkie again.

“What do you want, Bellamy?” Clarke’s crackling voice came through dotted with annoyance.

“It’s Monty.  He’s been hurt. Badly.  A boar got him.”  Bellamy paused, debating.  “And I think we’re finally getting a show of Jasper’s ability,” he added worriedly.

There was a pause before her voice came back.  Now, all traces of annoyance were gone; she sounded calm and in control with a measured and authoritative voice. “Okay.  First, check for breathing and pulse on Monty.”

“Miller?”  Bellamy asked.

“Ummm,” the man in question quickly jumped to action, laying his ear first near Monty’s mouth and then his heart; one hand darted to Monty’s wrist and then his neck.  “I think he might be breathing,” it came out as a question, “but I’m struggling to find a pulse.”  Bellamy quickly relayed this to Clarke.  And looked up in time to see a hulk-like version of Jasper sprint off into the trees, seconds before the last storm cloud engulfed his remaining thoughts. 

Bellamy quickly met Murphy’s gaze, who had up until then been hovering in the background unsure of what to do; without a word Murphy set off in pursuit of the creature that was once Jasper.

“Bellamy!” he heard shouted over the walkie.

“I’m here,” he said, focusing on the thing he could do at the moment.

“What direction did you go in?”

“Over the hill to the east of camp.  The creek.”

“Okay.  We’re on our way.  I’m going to need you guys to give him CPR.”

“How the Hell do we do that?”

Despite his yelling, she remained calm.  “Make sure his airway is open.”  Before he could ask, she continued.  “His mouth needs to be open and look to see if there’s anything in the way, but don’t stick your fingers down his throat.”

“Okay, done,” Miller called.

“Once he’s on his back, tilt his head back a little.  Then place the heel of one hand on his breastbone, two finger-widths above where his lower ribs meet.  Place your second hand on top of the first hand, palms down, and interlock your fingers.  Kneel so your body is _directly_ above your hands, and with your arms straight press down with both hands precisely over the breastbone.  Do thirty compressions, pressing down about five centimeters, pause for no more than ten seconds and repeat.  We’re on the way.”

Bellamy looked to Miller who was already starting the compressions, having followed along with Clarke’s instructions.  His thoughts were completely focused on Monty, panic and worry coloring every inch of them.  Bellamy tried to gather his own thoughts and reached out to see if he could sense anything from either Jasper or Murphy, but other than a faint storm cloud angrily flaring that he recognized as Jasper, he heard nothing.

Time seemed to drag by in inches, Miller was quietly counting each compression and Bellamy didn’t know what he could do.  After what seemed like hours, he sensed Miller’s frantic thought, _This isn’t working.  I don’t think I’m doing this right._   Before Miller could voice the thought, Bellamy was on the radio with Clarke.  “Clarke,” he called anxiously.  “I don’t know if it’s working.”

Clarke was on in an instant, he heard her take a deep breath.  “Miller’s there, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, Miller?  If you _really_ think this isn’t working, I’m going to need you to keep calm and just do exactly what I tell you.” 

Miller nodded.  “Go ahead,” Bellamy told Clarke.

“When you’re ready, during one of your pauses from compressions, I’m going to need you to gently Phase through his chest cavity.”

“What?!”  Miller shouted as if Clarke could hear his shock and appall.

“You’re going to need to do compression on his heart with your hand.  Gentle, but with pressure, you’re going to pump his heart for him.  I need you to do this until I get there, Nathan.  You can do it.  Do it for Monty.  I’ll be there as soon as I can.”  She cut out.

Miller looked up to meet Bellamy’s eyes.  He took a deep breath and with a look of utter revulsion, moved his hand through Monty’s chest.  Bellamy could see the rhythmic tenses of Miller’s forearm as he pumped, the whole time looking as if he’d rather be throwing up.  Bellamy put down the walkie and returned to putting some pressure on the wound, replacing Miller’s now blood drenched jacket with his own. 

After what seemed like hours, but was probably only minutes he heard a very distinct voice in his head, _Fucking tree root!  Don’t you try to trip me!  I have places to be!  Where the fuck are they?_

“Clarke!” he shouted as loud as he could. 

He felt her zero in on his voice and before long she was bursting through the trees.  The second she saw Monty, her thoughts keyed in on him and within seconds she was kneeling next to him her hands on his body.  Bellamy moved out of the way, so she could sit more comfortably.

Then, suddenly, the white noise of other people’s thoughts that Bellamy had learned to live with ceased.  There was nothing but his own thoughts and a soothing, quiet river of a hummed song.  He floated along it, filled with a sense of peace.  While he had worn the Ark’s bracelet, he hadn’t heard any of the voices, but it had felt wrong, like a missing appendage; this was something else entirely, this felt right.  He reveled in the quiet, and then a soft thought floated past him on the current, _Come on, Monty_ , it plead.  It was then that he realized where this wonderful river was from:  Clarke.  It must be her Healing. 

He was suddenly jolted out of his reverie by Octavia’s voice.  He turned to her to see a slightly concerned expression.  “Huh?” he asked, still slightly distracted by the calm river flowing through his mind.

“You had this weird look on your face.  Are you alright?”

Bellamy nodded, “Yeah.” He paused.  “Is this what it’s supposed to be like?” he asked.

“What?” she asked, confused.

“Just you.  With your own thoughts?  It’s so quiet and…” he searched for the right word, but couldn’t find it.  Without warning, it all came flooding back to him, a bombardment of other people’s thoughts. He winced.  “Well, that was nice while it lasted,” he said gruffly.

Octavia gave him a puzzled look. 

“I think it was Clarke.  When she was Healing Monty, she projected this kind of serene landscape that blanketed all other thoughts.  I don’t know,” he tried to dismiss it, but it lingered in his mind.  He turned to where Clarke, Monty, and Miller were on the ground; Miller was relieved and sitting back, staring at Monty and Clarke. 

Clarke had small satisfied smile on her face, though she was clearly exhausted, near the breaking point.  “He’s going to be unconscious for a while, and he’s lost a lot of blood, so he’ll probably need a transfusion, but I can’t do that here.  Someone will have to carry him back to the dropship.”

“Miller?” Bellamy asked, meeting the other man’s gaze.  He nodded and began to stand.  Clarke made a move to get up as well, but immediately collapsed back onto the ground.  “Looks, like you’re going to need someone to carry you too, Princess.” Bellamy said, and without waiting for permission he scooped her up, one arm under her legs, the other supporting her lower back.

She made a murmur of protest, but didn’t have the energy to do much about it.  “If you’d all just stop trying to die on me, this wouldn’t be a problem,” she huffed with no real menace.  Then her eyes were drifting shut. Just as she was slipping into a deep sleep he heard her think, _I’m definitely going to regret this tomorrow_ , referring to her falling asleep in his arms. He chuckled and with a nod to Miller who was in a similar position with Monty, they began their trek back to camp.

“Where’s Murphy?” Raven asked, speaking up for the first time since the girls had arrived.  “And Jasper?”

“Uhh,” Bellamy started.  “Jasper freaked out a bit about Monty getting hurt and uh, his Ability, uh, manifested.” He said, unsure of how to really describe it.  “Murphy went after him.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know nothing of medical procedures or injuries or anything, other than what I’ve gathered from rudimentary First Aid and television, so I apologize for any inaccuracies.


	6. Making Contact

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Holding out her hand she greeted the grounder leader. “Hello, I’m—”  
> “Clarke of the Sky People,” Anya interrupted. “I am Anya of Trikru.” She simply stared at Clarke’s hand until she dropped it to her side. “What is it you want, Clarke?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the super long hiatus. This spring semester of graduate school has been a bitch. And I stuck to modern AU, fluff stories during it for what little recreational writing I did. But it’s summer and I’m getting back on the Heathens train. Hopefully I’ll update with a bit more regularity...no guarantees, though.

_Previously in Heathens..._

_“Where’s Murphy?” Raven asked, speaking up for the first time since the girls had arrived.  “And Jasper?”_

_“Uhh,” Bellamy started.  “Jasper freaked out a bit about Monty getting hurt and uh, his Ability, uh, manifested.” He said, unsure of how to really describe it.  “Murphy went after him.”_

 

* * *

 

 

Murphy wasn’t the type of person to go out of his way to help others.  His whole life had basically been about surviving.  Growing up on the Ark he never had much, just his parents.  His dad was also one of the even rarer Abled of the previous generation; the longer they spent in the sky, the more Abilities appeared among the newborns. 

His dad had hid his Ability to manipulate energy fields, but it had been strongly linked to his emotions.  Once, when Murphy was seven he had stood up for his friend at school, but had only ended up getting bullied himself.  His dad found out and in his anger at the treatment of his son he accidentally knocked out the power to a station of the Ark. The guard traced it back to him and floated him for a dangerous, unregistered Ability.  From then on, his mother had taught him how to keep his head down and he had taught himself how to keep people at arm’s length.  It probably didn’t help that his mom blamed him for his dad being found and floated.

Anyway, Murphy was supposed to be focusing on himself surviving, not all these other people Jaha had sent him to this miserable planet with.  But here he was following one of them who had morphed into some hulking muscled version of a man.  He scoffed slightly as he jogged, this creature was pretty much the furthest thing Murphy had expected to be connected to the non-stop bubbly personality that was Jasper.

“Mutherfuck—” he shouted as the colossus somehow got the jump on him and took a swing.  He leapt back, missing the fist by inches.

His instinct kicked in and flames licked up around his hands and arms.  The creature took a step back.  Thank fuck he was afraid of fire, otherwise Murphy had no idea what he was going to do.  The creature started to move back toward the creek where they had just left the others.

“Not on my watch,” Murphy grumbled and threw some flames in his path to cause him to run in the other direction. It was then that the idea struck him.  He remembered seeing a cave when he had been hunting.  Maybe he could corral Jasper into the cave…

Murphy made sure to keep the hulk-like version of Jasper in his sights, but tried to stay far enough away that he wouldn’t be caught by any abrupt attacks from the creature.  It was far from the easiest task he’d ever committed himself to.  _Fuck!_ He thought as Big Jasper turned suddenly toward Murphy.  A large hand swiped violently at his torso.  Murphy frantically jumped back and waved a streak of fire in front of himself.  The colossus jerked away from the flame. 

“Dude, I don’t want to actually hurt you.  But if you keep trying to hit me, _you’re_ going to end up burned,” he shouted.  He didn’t really know if this version of Jasper understood English, but judging by the second swipe of the hand in attempt to grab him, Murphy was going to say “no.”  He took another step back and stumbled over a root, barely keeping his balance.

The hulk-Jasper turned back in the direction of where the other six were.  “I _said_ we’re not going over there.” Murphy emphasized his statement by throwing a flame in front of the creature; it turned back the way Murphy wanted it to go. Out of the corner of his eyes, he thought he saw the fire still burning on the brush.  He wasn’t certain, but he sure as hell couldn’t lose sight of the rampaging Jasper to go check it out.  Murphy broke out into a run after the creature, trying to keep up.

With shows of flame and a little fire throwing, Murphy somehow managed to corral the creature toward the cave he had in mind.  By the time he had succeeded, he was dead-tired; between the running and the heavy use of his Ability, he could really have gone for a nap. 

But instead, he kept vigilant; every so often, the creature would begin to emerge.  Each time, Murphy rolled a ball of fire around his fingers, sometimes sending it in the direction of the colossus.  Luckily this was enough to send it ducking back into the cave.

Several hours later, Murphy looked up at the sound of shuffling at the entrance of the cave.  But instead of the colossus, it was the regular Jasper he had grown accustomed to in the past couple weeks.  Two?  Three? He couldn’t remember how long they had been down there, only that it was way too long.

Jasper shuffled over to him, staring down at his feet.  Murphy got to his feet and grunted acknowledgement, “You ready to head back?”

Jasper nodded in response and they began the trek back to camp.

After the pair had made their way back to camp, Jasper went off to a higher level of the dropship by himself and Monty quietly motioned everyone over to where Clarke had reduced him to bedrest; though she was only a few feet away on her own bedrest as enforced by Bellamy. 

“So, now you know,” Monty began.  “It’s best if no one says anything, acknowledges it at all.  Don’t ask him if he’s okay.  Just act as normal as possible.”  Everyone stared mutely, unsure of what to say.  “Jasper hates this part of himself.  He can’t control it and he’s worried he’s going to hurt someone and not even realize it.”

Clarke spoke up, exhaustion lacing her voice.  Saving Miller one day, Jasper the next, getting Octavia back to a hundred percent after a short recovery, and then fixing Monty a week later?  He’d be sleeping for a week straight if he used that much of his Abilities. “You were trying to control it weren’t you?  That’s why you were arrested?”

Monty nodded.  “Our parents were in Agro and Pharm, so we really had the perfect setup.  I was just trying to help him gain a little bit more control over himself.  In reference to the comic books, a little less “Hulk smash!” a little more Bruce Banner.”

“You think the Council would want a drug that got rid of a person’s Ability,” Bellamy scoffed.

“Not get rid of.  Just control it.” Monty sounded offended that Bellamy would accuse him of trying to get rid of an Ability.  “Jasper felt the exact same way we all did when we couldn’t feel our Ability with that bracelet.” The room let out a collective shutter, no one had enjoyed that feeling.  “We can practice our Abilities, get better with them.  He couldn’t really do that.”

“Can he do that now?  Learn to harness the emotions associated with his hulk-state?” Murphy asked thinking that maybe if his dad had not been afraid to share his Ability, he would have been able to better control it.  “I mean, there’s plenty of open space where he could practice.  Maybe send him in the direction of the grounder village…” Octavia shot him a hard glare.  “Assuming the meeting doesn’t go well.”

“Speaking of the meeting—” Octavia started.

“Maybe wait till Clarke’s conscious again,” Raven suggested, gesturing to their passed out leader.  Octavia nodded her agreement and the group dispersed, leaving the injured and exhausted to rest.

“You should probably take nap with them,” Murphy told Raven as they moved into the next room.  “You’ve been working yourself to the bone with the coms and everything.”

“Mind your own fucking business,” she growled, quickening her pace away from him.

 

The next few days were much of the same…much to Murphy’s annoyance.  Every time he thought he’d have a moment to himself, Jasper would hover in the peripheries before approaching with food or the offer of help.  When he was on watch, Jasper came up to him with some a fruit Monty found; when he was gathering wood for the campfire, Jasper offered to take-over so Murphy could head back to camp.  It was non-stop pestering and Murphy was sick of it.

Finally, Murphy had snuck off a clearing a little bit away from the dropship.  He had fifteen minutes to himself in which he simply wove a flame between his fingers, trying to not let it hit his fingers; it wouldn’t burn him, it was all about control. 

“Murphy?” Jasper’s voice called from the edge of the clearing.  “Monty found this new plant that—”

“Honestly, I don’t give a fuck.  Leave me alone.”

“Oh, sorry, I…”

“I made sure you didn’t hurt anyone when you hulked out, whoop-dee-doo.  But I’m not always going to be there to scare Big Jasper with a little fire, so you need to fucking practice control.”

Jasper stared at him wide-eyed, his mouth hung open slightly.

“Yeah, yeah.  Your little friend told us not to talk to you about it.  But it’s part of who you are.  No use hiding your Ability, it’ll come out whether you want it to or not and it’s bet to be in control when it does.”

“Look,” Murphy let out a long, suffering sigh.  God fucking dammit, he wasn’t supposed to give a shit about anyone. “I’ll even be nearby when you practice to make sure you don’t head back to the ship.  Just promise me one thing.  No, two things.”

“I, what?” Jasper still looked in a daze, unsure of what was going on.

“One, you stop bugging the hell out of me and trailing after me like a lost puppy.  And two, you don’t tell _anyone_ that I’m helping you.  I don’t want anyone getting any ideas that I’m a good guy always ready to lend a helping hand.”

“But…” Jasper looked to the ground.  “I’m scared. That _thing_ …”

“That ‘thing’ is you.  And the sooner you accept it the better.  Do we have a deal?”

Jasper nodded.

 

* * *

 

 

Clarke was trudging through the foliage to the meeting space set by the leader of Lincoln’s clan, Anya.  Bellamy was ahead by a few feet and not happy about the meeting despite coming on board to spite the Council.  Octavia was weaving through the trees to the left, Clarke could only spot her half the time.  And Murphy, who Bellamy had convinced to come with the line of “If they try to kill us this time, you’ll finally be able to ‘roast them,’” was two paces behind Bellamy.

Clarke trickled her fingers through her internal river of calm as she organized her thoughts.  _Breathe…in…and out…in…and out._ Once her breathing was steadier she went through her main points again, hoping they would be enough to convince Anya.  When the bridge was before them, she let go of the river and brought herself into the present. 

Bellamy stopped abruptly and she almost ran into his back.  “Jeez,” she muttered, moving next to him. And the four walked out to the middle of the bridge meeting Anya and her group of four warriors.  Lincoln stepped forward toward their group, his subtle squeezing of Octavia’s hand did not go unnoticed by Clarke, which resulted in a tensing of Bellamy’s shoulders.

They had previously agreed that Clarke would lead the conversation with Anya, she was just hoping that Bellamy would be able to keep a reign on his tongue.  He scoffed next to her. She clenched her jaw before releasing it and taking a half-step forward.  Holding out her hand she greeted the grounder leader.  “Hello, I’m—”

“Clarke of the Sky People,” Anya interrupted.  “I am Anya of Trikru.” She simply stared at Clarke’s hand until she dropped it to her side.  “What is it you want, Clarke?”

“Peace,” Clarke supplied simply.  “We want to live here in peace with you and your people.”

“And why should we want to live in peace with you?  You have come down from the sky on our land.  And stayed without our permission.  You are few and do not belong.”

 “There are more of us coming,” Clarke explained.  “We were sent ahead to see if the land was survivable.”

“So they sent you here believing you would die and yet you still speak on their behalf?”

Bellamy scoffed beside Clarke.  She shot him a quick glare of warning

Anya continued. “And why should we not just exterminate the threat?  There are only eight of you now.  If they see you are dead, they will not come.  Even if they do, your kind are weak, not understanding the ways of this world, they would be just as easy targets.”

“Who are you calling an easy target?” Bellamy growled.

 _Control yourself_ , Clarke sniped at him.  _We’re trying to make peace not enemies._   He glared in return.

“We are not a threat,” Clarke spoke before Anya could respond to Bellamy.  “We just want to find a place to live down here.  Peacefully.”

“No threat?  You’ve already made an act of war.”

Clarke fought to control her emotions, wracking her brain for anything they might have done that would be considered an act of war.

“You burnt our crops and tried to burn our village, SkaiKru shite!” A grounder warrior shouted out of turn.  The look Anya sent his way had him withering behind his comrades.

“We didn’t set fire to your crops or village,” Clarke protested.  The moment the word “fire” left her lips she realized what had happened.  Murphy had said fire was the only thing that would deter Jasper in his monster-like state.  One of the flames he threw must have caught on the foliage and spread toward the grounders’ village.

“But you are the source of the fire that caused us great devastation.  My people would not accept such as act without retribution.”

“Retribution?”

“If you want to live here, give us the one who caused the fires and we will take payment out of him.”

“No,” Clarke and Bellamy said in sync, for once on the same page.  Bellamy had a slight tone of horror, perhaps the accompanying thoughts to “retribution” were worse than what had come to Clarke’s mind. 

“Then you must all pay the price,” Anya showed no emotion.

“Like Hell!” Bellamy was outraged, reaching for the weapons he had secreted around his person.

“So you choose to fight?” Anaya almost looked happy with the prospect.

“We’re not giving up our man, so if that’s the result, then we fight,” Bellamy told her, Clarke could practically feel him bristling for a fight, his muscles flexing into a fighting stance.

“So be it.” Anya pulled a sword from its scabbard on her back and unfurled a large set of wings, the undersides white with tips of deep brown.  Clarke stumbled back a step in surprise; this was one thing she had not been expecting.

Bellamy on the other hand seemed unfazed by the revelation and pulled his own makeshift knives from their places along his belt.

“Clarke, get down,” he muttered under his breath.

“What?”

“God fucking dammit,” he lurched to the side and tackled her to the ground, an arrow piercing the space she had just occupied.  Bellamy leapt to his feet and met the first swing of Anya’s sword with his knife.

Chaos erupted.  The group of grounders charged forward with swords, knives, and hatchets in hand.  Octavia came out of nowhere to take on two of them herself.  Murphy stepped forward as well, his arms lit with fire; he wasn’t as skilled in combat as the other two, but he was still effective.  And Clarke?  Her least favorite feeling was creeping up on her:  uselessness.

She stayed where Bellamy had tackled her for a moment watching as he dove in the opposite direction to avoid Anya’s blade, before smoothly rising onto his feet and thrusting his knife at her.  A few feet away, Octavia melded into the background before seamlessly rising out of it to skewer one of her opponents from behind.

And while the Blake siblings were definitely showing their skills as graceful fighters, Murphy was anything but.

“Come and get it, assholes!” he shouted at the grounders. One charged him as three more emerged from the trees beyond to join the fray.  Murphy threw fire in an arc the oncoming grounders and used the momentum of the swing to land a burning punch on the one directly charging him. Two arrows flew from the opposing trees, missing Clarke by inches.

“Retreat to the trees,” Lincoln told her harshly.  He looked as if he didn’t know which side he wanted to be fighting for and settled for making certain Clarke didn’t become a shish-ka-bob. 

One of the oncoming grounders finally noticed she was by herself, still scrambling to her feet against one side of the bridge.  Recalling an action movie she once watched with Wells and sending a pray out to whatever deity might be listening, she shifted her weight and used her foot to hook the leg of the attacker, pulling sharply toward herself.  And apparently that deity had been listening because it worked and the grounder fell backward.

Not giving him a chance to recover, she grabbed a nearby hunk of crumbled bridge at threw it in the direction of his head before lurching to her feet and running back the way they had come.  “We can’t win this right now; there are too many of them!” she called to Bellamy, Octavia, and Murphy.

None of them heard her. Octavia parried a blow from an assailant, kicking out her back foot to prevent an attack from behind.  She looked around for half a second before flinging a knife at the second man trying to circle Murphy who was currently engulfed in flame.  The man clutched his side, distracted long enough for Murphy to send a flaming fist to the side of his head.

Bellamy was truly something else. He moved, no, he danced with Anya, seamlessly moving out of the way of her blade or blocking it.  Her wings were expansive and helped to keep Bellamy at a distance.  Anytime he would lung, a strong sweep of them would send her skittering out of the way.

Clarke searched her mind frantically for something she could do…other than being a target.  She ducked behind a trunk which thudded with several arrows a second later.

“We need to get out of here,” Octavia said causing Clarke to jump and the woman appeared next to her.

“No shit.  How?” Clarke tried to hide her flinching.

But before either could answer a low horn sounded through the trees.  The grounders stopped in their tracks and began racing toward their side of the bridge and disappearing into the trees.  Murphy sent a flame after them.  “That’s right!  You’d better run!”

Anya pushed off and took to the sky, gliding far out of Bellamy’s reach before sprinting after her men.  Bellamy looked back to the two girls behind the tree and started quickly in their direction.  He grabbed Murphy by the collar of his shirt, dragging the still taunting man after him. “We need to find shelter _now_.  I don’t know what’s coming, but the grounders are terrified of it.  All I could gather was that it means death to anyone who is not in shelter.”

“We might be able to get to the dropship in fifteen minutes if we run.  Close it up?” Octavia suggested.

“We’ll be dead in fifteen minutes,” Bellamy said, he was already on the move.

“The bunker,” Clarke suggested.  “The one Miller, Jasper, and me used.  I think it’s pretty near here.”

“Lead the way,” he gestured frantically.

Clarke took off at a run.  _Please, let me remember where it is._ Clarke thought to herself. _Fuck!_ She realized she might not be the only one hearing her thoughts right now. _I know exactly where it is. Fuck you, Bellamy!  Stay out of my head!_   She thought she heard a labored laugh from behind her.

She recognized a boulder and skidded to a halt.  It was right around here somewhere.  She began shuffling her feet, moving the leaves.  There!  She grabbed the metal ring she exposed and yanked it open.  She held it as the other three dove into the hole and quickly followed, closing the hatch behind her.

“Get out the walkie and radio the dropship.  Make sure they find shelter too,” Bellamy ordered.

Octavia complied, “Raven, come in.  Do you hear me, Raven?  Pick up the damn walkie, Raven!”

“Meeting over already?” the response came.

“Not important.  You need to find shelter immediately.  Get everyone inside and close the door.  Something scared the grounders off and Bellamy says its deadly.  All he got from them was the need to find shelter and find it now.”

“On it,” Raven responded quickly.

The bunker filled with silence.

“Well, that meeting was a disaster,” Bellamy spoke.

“Not even going to try to argue with that one,” Clarke sighed.

“Ready to try my way now?” Murphy voiced.

“And what’s that?” Clarke asked aggravatedly.  “Actually set fire to their village?  That won’t kill all of them and they’ll be even angrier.”

“Well, how about—”

“Just, no.  I need to think,” Clarke walked as far away from them as she could get.  Bellamy was right, that meeting was a disaster.  What were they supposed to do now?  They’d been on the ground for almost a month and getting that peace was supposed to ensure that they made it down here; they couldn’t live under the constant threat of war.

She felt something nagging at the back of her mind.  She paused, focused on it, and came back surprised that she noticed without searching it out. “Bellamy get over here,” she called.

“What?” he growled, breaking from his conversation with Octavia.  “I thought you were ‘thinking.’”

“You’re hurt.”

He startled.  “I’m fine. It’s nothing.”

“It’s not nothing.  If it was nothing, I could ignore it.” He still hadn’t moved.  She walked over to him. “Shirt, off.”

“Demanding Princess,” he grumbled but complied, wincing slightly as he stretched his shoulders over his head.

“Bellamy!” Octavia scolded.

“Hey, I can listen to Anya’s thoughts about where she was going to strike.  I can’t listen to where the sharp rock jutting from the bridge is going to slice my back.  And like I said, it’s not that bad.”

Clarke raised an eyebrow at him and motioned for him to turn around, sure enough there was a deep scratch stretching across his back.  Clarke took a deep breath and reached for her Ability, deftly repairing the damage. 

When she finished she smiled.  “Congrats on the first non-life threatening injury on Earth,” she teased.

“If it wasn’t life-threatening, why did you use your Ability?” he asked, putting his shirt back on.

“It was nagging at me,” she brushed him off.

“My injury?”

“You hear thoughts.  I hear hurt, well physical hurt.  You’re probably the one who hears non-physical hurt.”

“You _hear_ it?” Octavia asked, confused.

“It’s kind of like this nagging voice that’s calling for attention.  Normally I can ignore it, but for some reason Bellamy’s cut wouldn’t fade into the background.”

“Join the party,” Bellamy smirked.

“Not to ruin the love fest, but can we go back to the dropship?” Murphy interrupted.

“How do we know if it’s safe?” Clarke asked Bellamy.

“I don’t know.  Just poke our head outside and see if we start to die?  I vote you try it.”

Clarke rolled her eyes, but headed for the short ladder.  She raised the hatch and didn’t immediately notice anything wrong, she raised herself further out and still nothing seemed off.  She could faintly hear water running near the bridge, birds were calling to one another.  “I think we’re okay,” she called down.  The other three followed cautiously, but no one noticed anything off.

They started back toward camp and Clarke came to a decision:  she needed to learn how to fight.  Right now she was only good for _after_ the battle, and even then only useful if the battle had gone poorly.  She needed to change that as soon as possible. 

“Octavia,” she caught up with the other girl.

“Huh?”

“I need you to teach me how to fight.”

She looked startled, but then settled into understanding.  “I could, but Bell is a better teacher than me.”

“Yeah, him knowing everything I’m going to do before I do it definitely makes it a fair fight.”

“No, him knowing everything you’re going to do makes him a better teacher because he knows what you’re doing wrong in your thinking.  Plus, he’s just a better teacher, more patient.” She paused.  “I think there’s something he could use your help with too.”  Clarke cocked her head in question.  “Just talk to him.”

Clarke heaved a sigh and picked up her pace to match that of the elder Blake.  “Bellamy?”

“What is it?”

“What you haven’t already read my thoughts and know what I’m going to ask?”

“No, but I could if you’d prefer.  Kind of goes against your whole ‘stay out of my head’ mantra though.”

She rolled her eyes.  “I was wondering if you would teach me how to fight.  Today, when the fighting broke out, I just felt…useless.” She deflated by the end of the sentence.

He seemed to be fighting an internal battle, arguing with himself, or…Clarke shot a glance at Octavia.  “Fine,” he spat.  “I’ll help you, but under one condition.”

“Name it.”

“You teach me about how you Heal.” At her confused look he continued. “When you’re Healing someone, you drown out the rest of the world…it goes quiet for me too.” He rubbed the back of his neck with one hand nervously

Clarke’s eyes lit in recognition.  “Yeah, of course,” she told him.  For the first time she thought about what it would be like for him, what it would be like to have voices, thoughts, constantly bombarding him.  She winced.

He chuckled.  “Thanks for that.” She knew he didn’t just mean her teaching him.

 

* * *

 

 

After panicking and getting everyone closed up in the dropship, Raven began to pace.  _Thanks for the cryptic conversation, Octavia.  It really put my mind at ease._ She grabbed the walkie.  “Octavia?  Come in and tell me what the fuck is going on.”  After a minute she tried again.  And again.

Finally, a response came.  “Sorry.  Walkie got stuffed in my pack.  We’re on our way back now.”

“Well, what the fuck happened?”

“We’ll tell you when we get back.  Long story short, the meeting went bad.”

“Way to be cryptic,” she repeated her earlier thought.

“We’ll be there in a couple minutes.  We’ll tell you everything then.”

Raven opened the dropship door and went out with the others to sit and wait.  Before long Miller was opening the gate and the four who had gone to the meeting were walking through it.  Murphy immediately veered off to the back of the dropship.  The rest came to sit and told about how they had apparently made an act of war got into a battle that ended only with a horn and the grounders’ fear telling Bellamy to run and take shelter.

When she heard what the “act of war” was, she knew immediately why Murphy had made himself scarce.  Try as he might to be a tough guy who doesn’t care about anyone or anything, he actually did care a lot.

She wandered over to where he was sitting, his back against the metal of the ship.  “It’s not your fault, you know that, right?”

“Of course it’s not my fault,” he snapped.

“You did the right thing, helping Jasper and everyone.  No one blames you,” she continued.

“Did I fucking ask for your opinion?  No.  I don’t believe I did,” he glared at her.

Raven sighed and plunked herself down next to him without another word.

He brought a flame up in his palm and began to roll it between his fingers.  But he didn’t tell her to go away.


	7. Getting Down to Business (To Defeat the Huns--Wait! No. The Grounders. What? Nevermind.)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You ready?” Clarke asked, coming to stand next to where Bellamy was sitting.
> 
> “Sure, but are you?” he smirked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title was me amusing myself when I tried to think of a one line summary of what happens in this chapter. Sorry, not sorry.

“You ready?” Clarke asked, coming to stand next to where Bellamy was sitting.

“Sure, but are you?” he smirked.  He had been ready since they made their agreement a few days ago.  But first Miller spotted a grounder near to camp, then Jasper ate a non-Monty-approved berry, so the trip kept getting pushed back.

Clarke rolled her eyes and handed a pack to him.  “I packed us each a little dried meat and fruit.  Though we should be back before sundown.  That bunker Kane mentioned is probably about a two-hour hike from here, but we should be fine for time. I figure, I’ll teach you what I know on the hikes, and then you can start my training when we get there.”

“Then, let’s get going, Princess.  I have a feeling you’re going to be a little difficult to train.”

“And why do you say that?” she huffed, offended.

“Because you’re obstinate and contradictory.”

“I am not!”

“And you just proved my point.”

Clarke scoffed and began to walk off, not even looking to see if he was behind her.

“We’ll be back before nightfall,” he told Miller as he walked out the gate.  “If we’re not, don’t come looking for us tonight; wait until tomorrow morning.  We’ll have our walkie talkies, so if you need us, that should work.  We’re heading—”

“To the bunker that Kane said was in some old family record, Clarke already told me all this, and made sure I knew rough directions on how to find it.”

Bellamy nodded and jogged a little to catch up with Clarke.  A hard resolve was coming from her.  He smiled quietly, Clarke had to be one of the most determined people he had ever come across.

They had been walking for about ten minutes, when Clarke finally broke the silence.  “So, I don’t really know where to start,” Clarke told him.  “I’m not really sure what you want me to teach you.”

“I think I would describe it as a river,” Bellamy mused.  “A focused river.”

A spark of recognition ignited. “Oh, I know what you’re talking about.  It’s something my parents taught me.  When I first got my Ability, everyone’s pains and ailments shouted to me, demanding to be fixed.”

“Like what happened a couple days ago?”

She nodded.  “But everyone’s.  That river, it’s kind of constantly flowing in the way back of my mind, controlling the buzz of people’s pain.  Before I learned to control it, whenever I touched someone, whether I wanted to or not, I would Heal them; I was constantly exhausted and soon hated to touch anyone because I would Heal every small bruise.”

“So, it is possible to control an Ability that acts on its own?”

“For me yeah, but injuries are a little different than thinking.  But I can try to teach you want they taught me.”

“From what I’ve felt when you were Healing other people, I’m thinking it’s the best chance I’ve got.”

Clarke was quiet for a moment.  “Sorry, I’m trying to figure out how to explain it, it’s more of a feeling than a thought.  My mom told me to just shut out everything but the problem before me, like she does in surgery. But that didn’t make sense to me until my dad helped me visualize it with a flowing river that would overrun the sounds of hurt.  And then he taught me to sort of dip into that river to gather the Healing power.  I don’t know if that even makes sense.”

“And the song?”

“Song?”

“There’s a hummed song; it’s the sound the river makes, but it’s not rushing water like you’d expect; it’s a softly hummed song.”

Clarke shook her head, not understanding.  “You’re going to make me hum it, aren’t you?”

“I wouldn’t mind hearing the great stoic Bellamy sing,” a teasing smile lit on her face.

He steadied her with a look.  She looked back expectantly.  “Fine,” he gave in and began humming the song he remembered hearing with the river.  The memory of it was so clear, like it had been imprinted on his mind.

A happy smile slowly crept over Clarke’s face.  She began singing along quietly.  “Hush-a-bye, don’t you cry; go to sleep, little baby; when you wake; you shall have; all the pretty little horses…” she had a small look of awe on her face.  “I didn’t know I did that. It’s a lullaby my dad used to sing to me when I was little when I got scared or overwhelmed.”

The feelings that were coming from her were a swirling mix of happy and sad.

“They floated my mom, too,” he told her.  “Octavia got away before they could put her in the skybox—she hid—but my mom got floated for having a second child.”

“This conversation took a turn for the worse,” she chuckled ruefully.  Bellamy joined.  “So, the river.  I don’t really know, how to help you.  It’s kind of just a thing you practice by picturing it.  It doesn’t have to be a river, it’s something that calms you and helps you concentrate.”

“I kind of like your river if you don’t mind sharing it,” Bellamy admitted.

“It’s whatever works for you.  Do you want me to reach for mine and then you try to create and maintain your own?  Like I said, I don’t really know what I can do to help you except explain what I do.”

“We could try that,” he said.  And soon he felt her river arise, making the faint thoughts of the rest of their group fade completely.  It flowed smoothly and he forgot his objective for a moment.

_Okay, I’m going to step out.  Try to find your own space_ , Clarke thought along the flow of the river.  He concentrated on creating his own river in his mind, rather than letting Clarke’s overwhelm him. He felt her river fade, but didn’t hear her thoughts.

_Am I supposed to be thinking at you?  Or trying not to think? Ugh._  

Bellamy couldn’t help but laugh as he broke his concentration. “Princess, I don’t think you could stop thinking if you wanted to.”

“Sorry.”

“It was quiet for a minute there, though.”

They continued the walk in the direction of the bunker while Bellamy concentrated on creating his river.  He was getting better at picturing the river, but the best he got was Clarke’s thoughts slightly faded, never completely gone.

 

* * *

 

 

“Do you want to scope it out or train first?”  Bellamy asked her when they finally found a metal door in the floor of the forest.

“My curiosity is going to get the better of me if we don’t check it out now,” Clarke admitted.  She dropped her pack and reached both hands for the handle, heaving with her whole body.  It didn’t budge an inch.

Bellamy sauntered over sans his pack and reached for the door. “Nice try, Princess.  Watch and learn.”  He gave it a hard yank; it steadfastly remained shut. He pulled again.  Nothing happened.

“Still watching,” Clarke chirped, not trying to hide her smile.

Bellamy huffed.  “Fine.  Together.”  He moved to the side so they could both grab part of the door handle. “On three.  One, two, three, pull!”

Together they managed to creak the door open.  Clarke returned to her pack to grab a flashlight before descending into the darkness.  Bellamy was close behind her. 

“Gods, why are these places always so depressing?” he muttered swinging his light around the small space. 

Clarke’s light shined on empty shelves.  “Fuck!  People have definitely been through here before.”

“Keep looking, maybe we’ll find something.  Guns would be ideal, but I’ll settle for a tent or tarp even.  Anything useful.”

They scoured the underground metal box and came up with only a handful of things to take back:  two tarps, both torn with a few holes, but better than nothing, another broken flashlight, and what Clarke was happiest with, a hand crank charger.

“What are we even going to do with that?  We don’t have anything to charge; it’s useless to us,” Bellamy complained.

“Wanna bet?”  She confidently crossed her arms across her chest.  He gave her a deploring look.  “When we get back to camp and Raven, and probably Monty, are super excited about this, you’re going to owe me something.”

“What?”

“I don’t know.  I’ll figure it out later.”

“Okay,” he agreed.  But when everyone else, _including Raven and Monty_ , are completely unimpressed, you’ll owe me.”

“You’re on,” Clarke smiled wickedly, holding out her hand.  Bellamy took it in his with a firm shake. They placed their haul by their packs and stood up.

“My turn?” Clarke asked, shifting her mindset to the other reason they went on this day trip.

“Let’s see what you’ve got.”

“Umm, I’m pretty sure I’ve got nothing.  Though, I guess I do know _where_ to hit for the most damage or pain.”

“Yeah?”

“It’s basic knowledge of knowing how the body works and is put together.  If I know anything it’s the human body.” 

“Okay, that’s definitely something…” Bellamy stared at her contemplatively.  “I think we’re going to stick to ranged attacks for the most part.  I’ve been working on a bow and some arrows, since we haven’t been able to find any guns yet, and spears are kind of one and done.”  He walked over to the pack he had brought, Clarke noticing a large, curved wood sticking out of it for the first time.

“Is that…” she looked at the string he was bringing out with the bow.

“Sinew?  Yeah.  I figured it’d be better than stripping string from one of the ropes of the parachutes and Raven would kill me if I tried to use any type of wire.  I had read something about how people used to make weapons back in the ancient times of Earth.”

Clarke made a face causing Bellamy to crack a smile.  “You’re a doctor…of sorts, shouldn’t you be not grossed out by animal sinew?  It’s dried and prepared anyway.”

“Logically, I know I shouldn’t be, but yet there’s something about me thinking too hard about what exactly I’m going to be wrapping my hand around.”

“Technically, you won’t be wrapping your hand around it, just pulling on it with a few fingers.”

Clarke tilted her head, giving him a look.  _Really?_

The corner of Bellamy’s mouth ticked up.  “You ready to try this?  I’ll probably have to make a few adjustments, but it should be fine.”

“Have you ever even used a bow?” she asked.  It wasn’t a very practical weapon for life on the Ark.

“No,” he admitted. “But I’ve read a lot, I seen it in some movies, and I got a little bit from the grounder archers at our last run in.”

“So, you’re not really even qualified to teach me?”

He leveled her with a look.  “I thought you said you wanted to learn to fight.”

“This isn’t even really fighting,” she argued.

“This is the most logical thing to teach you,” his eyes hard.  “You’re our Healer.  I don’t want you in the heat of battle; I want you back and in relative safety, so that when someone gets hurt in the fight, you’re still alive to put them back together.”

“But who is the one doing the talking with the grounders,” Clarke’s voice started to raise.  “Archery would have done me a fuck ton of _nothing_ in the fight we had the other week.”

Bellamy’s voice raised to match hers.  “And as a result of that ‘meeting,’ I seriously doubt we’re going to be doing much ‘talking’ with the grounders.”

She clenched her jaw.  He had a point, but she sure as hell wasn’t going to admit it.

Bellamy smirked triumphantly.

Clarke growled in frustration.  “I hate you, so fucking much.  I thought we agreed you’d stay out of my head.”

“That was more emoting, than thoughts.  It’s harder to block out a sentiment,” he explained, the smirk never leaving his face.

“Are we doing this or not?” Clarke demanded, ready to move on.  Just because he knew he won the argument, didn’t mean that she was going to acknowledge the fact.

“Alright, Princess,” he said as he strung the bow.  “Take your stance.”

She grabbed the bow and arrow he was holding out.  Placing her feet wide and turning to the side, she brought up the bow in her left hand and pulled the string with arrow back with her right.

Bellamy stood up and walked around her, looking over her stance.  He kicked her feet a little more to the side, “Feet perpendicular to the target,” he muttered.  Moving behind her, he lifted her right elbow. “A little higher; use your mouth as an anchor,” he instructed.  “Relax your shoulders though.” His hands moved to either shoulder, smoothing them down. “And,” he hesitated for half a second before his hands landed on her hips.  “Hips squared up to your feet.”  Clarke inhaled sharply, Bellamy coughed.  “Spot your target and release.”

She did and was surprised when her arrow glanced off the tree at which she was aiming.  She turned around and beamed at him.

“Not bad, Princess.”

“Not bad?  That was fucking amazing!”

“No, it’ll be ‘fucking amazing’ when you actually stick your target.”

She imagined herself raising her middle finger at him, and shoved the thought in his direction.

“You know, for someone who keeps telling me to stay out of her head, you sure like to throw your thoughts directly at me,” he mused wryly.  “Again.” He handed her another arrow.

Clarke continued to shoot arrows at the tree, finally sinking a few into its trunk.  But before too long her shoulders and arms were starting to get a little tired.  Bellamy must have sensed it or otherwise noticed because he soon spoke up.  “I think you’ve got the basics down.  Now it’s just a matter of practice.  Though once we finally find some guns, the real fun down here will begin.  I’ll teach you to shoot those too.  But for now, a little hand to hand combat.”

“Don’t I get a sword or knife or something?” Clarke asked indignantly.

“No point in giving you something sharp until you know the basics of how to hit and defend…and until _I_ know you won’t accidentally stab yourself.”

“I would not accidentally stab myself!”

“You say that, and yet I’m still not sure.”

“Fuck you, Blake.”

He paused for a second, thinking.  “I think we’re just going to have to go for it.”

“Go for what?”

“Spar.  I need to get a baseline for how you fight, and more importantly, how you think when you fight.  Then I can figure out what type of fighting would work best for you.”

“Great,” Clarke said dryly.  “Fighting against someone who knows my every thought before I throw the punch.  That definitely seems like a fair fight.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Do you want to learn or not?  Plus,” he added incentive, “it’ll also let me know what type of close-quarter weapon you’ll probably work best with.”

“Fine, fine,” Clarke acquiesced.  “When do we start?”

“Whenever you’re—” his voice cut off as he dodged a fist flying at his face. 

Clarke danced back a step with a smile.  “I really hate that I can’t have the element of surprise.  Life goal:  get the drop on you _just one time_.”

Bellamy chuckled, settling into his fighter’s stance.  “Good luck with that, Princess.”  They circled each other, Clarke trying to match his footwork.  “Why so apprehensive?” he questioned.

“Because it’s a fucking losing battle; no matter what I do, I’m not going to succeed.  Even if I knew how to fight, I wouldn’t succeed!”

“Just pretend I’m not hearing your thoughts.  In fact, I’ll practice what we talked about on the walk here.”  Clarke looked at him, still unsure.  “And if it will help you actually start trying…” he lunged at her with a swipe of his arm, not actually trying to hit her, just get her in the mindset. 

She leaned back out of the way, taking a few steps.  She tried to keep her hands ready, light on her feet.  She instinctively began to look around, get a better lay of the land, see if there was anything that could help her. 

“Good,” Bellamy nodded.  “It’s not just you and the person in front of you; it’s everything else in the area too.”

“I thought you were supposed to be _not_ listening to my thoughts,” Clarke complained.

“Thoughts or no, I can still read your body language.”

Clarke growled and lunged at him, going for a full body tackle liked she’d seen in the American football games she watched on the Ark.  Then she was lying on her back staring up at the sky.  Bellamy was full-heartedly laughing above her.  “We’re not playing football here, Clarke,” he extended a hand down to her. 

She accepted it and let him pull her to her feet.  She brushed off some of the debris from her back and hair.  “Not like it worked anyway,” she grumbled.  She took a quick, deep breath.  “Okay, for real this time.  I’m going to pretend this fight isn’t quite as hopeless as I know it is.”  She settled back, light on the balls of her feet.

“Just try to use your instincts,” Bellamy suggested.

Clarke nodded, game face on.  He swung and she raised an arm to block it.  “Good,” he approved.  He lunged a second time and again Clarke got a block in place.  She knew he was moving slower and more deliberately than he would were they actually sparring, but it was getting Clarke in the right mindset. 

After defending a few hits, Clarke started making a few of her own jabs.  Or well, attempts; Bellamy easily blocked them all.  They continued exchanging hits and blocking for a bit.  Clarke was fairly certain she was going to have a few new bruises tomorrow despite Bellamy taking it exceedingly easy on her.

They had been going for a while before she noticed he had a smile on his face, looking like he was going to start laughing at any minute.  She pulled up straight.  “What?” she demanded.  “Is my fighting really that awful?”

“No,” he choked out.  “I feel like I’m getting an anatomy lesson.”  He recovered a bit and elaborated.  “Most people just think stomach, not specifically floating ribs, liver, or spleen.  Sure, they may know that those are the places to aim for even with the proper names, but _you’ve_ got a whole list of nerves and the detailed medical problems that would occur if you hit there perfectly and with the right force.  Which is actually a little terrifying,” he added.

Clarke huffed.  “I told you I know _where_ to hit,” she reminded indignantly.

“That you did, Princess.  It’s just a matter of training you how to actually do it.  But I think we’re done for the day; you’re looking a little tired, and we’ve still got to hike back.”

“Yeah,” she agreed.  “We should probably make sure they didn’t blow up the camp or something while we were gone.”

“I’m pretty sure we would have heard an explosion,” Bellamy pointed out.

“True.  Unless Raven used a really small one to simply target Murphy’s tent.”

Bellamy chuckled.  “I could see it.”

“We’ll work on the concentration method on the way back,” Clarke slung her pack over her shoulders.

“Sounds like a plan,” Bellamy agreed settling his own pack before they started on their way.

 

* * *

 

 

“Ahh, Ms. Reyes, thank you for answering,” Chancellor Jaha said when Raven settled in front of the video coms device she had rigged.

“Not like I really have a choice if I don’t want hundreds of people to die from lack of oxygen,” she replied dryly.

He chuckled in response as if it were an inside joke between the two of them.  “Shall I assume you’re working on getting the Ark to the ground on your end?”

“Yeah, maybe I could talk to someone who actually knows how the Ark works to figure that out.”  He gave her a blank expression.  “Like Sinclair,” she said exasperatedly.

“Ah, yes.  Shall I send for him?”

“I don’t know why you bothered to call before you had,” she did nothing to hide the annoyance in her voice.

“That was partially me,” Abby Griffin said, coming into view.  “I was wondering if Clarke would talk to me?” she asked hopefully.

“She’s not here right now,” Raven told her.

“But can you go get her or ask?” Abby pleaded.

“She’s not here, as in she’s not in camp right now.”  Though Raven would definitely pay quite a few credits to see how Clarke and Bellamy were getting on right now.  “Also, hearing from Clarke, I think she has a pretty good reason for why she hasn’t talked to you on the coms yet.  Sentencing your husband to death and your daughter to life in solitary?  Not exactly mother of the year material.”  Not that Raven’s own mother was someone to aspire to, but still.

“It’s not that easy—”

“You know what?  I’m just going to wait to talk to Sinclair,” Raven interrupted, pushing her chair back and tinkering with the radio they had salvaged from a recent bunker exploration. 

A familiar voice interrupted her reverie.  “How’s my favorite Zero-G mechanic?” Sinclair asked through the fuzzy picture.

“I don’t think a convicted criminal is supposed to be your favorite,” Raven teased her mentor.

“Says who?” he responded.

Raven bubbled with a quick laugh.  “Alright, I’m not going to protest.  I am pretty awesome.”

“That’s my girl,” he smiled.  “So how are we getting the Ark down to you?  Ideas?”

“It really depends on what you’ve got to work with up there.  Our landing was pretty rough.  Hundred-year-old equipment that hasn’t been used doesn’t hold up well.”

“Seems like you’re all alright though.”

“Honestly, if it wasn’t for my Abilities, we probably wouldn’t have survived the landing.”

“So what are you saying?”

“I’m saying that your best bet would be to round up any other tech or metal or air related Abled who could help with the descent.”

“Out of the question,” Jaha spoke from somewhere off screen. “I will not give any mutants the opportunity to derail this landing.”

“They’re part of the landing!  They fuck it up, they die too,” Monty exclaimed angrily from across the room.  He looked sheepishly at Raven.  “Sorry, I was passing through to grab another bin for berries and overheard.”

“Don’t apologize Monty,” Raven told him.  Slightly impressed that he spoke up; Monty was not the type to rise to anger. “You’re a thousand percent right.”

“It is out of the question,” Jaha reiterated.  “I will not be persuaded on this matter.”

“So you send _us_ here because you think our Abilities will help us survive, but—”

“More so because we’re expendable and there weren’t any ‘normals’ for us to hurt,” Murphy voiced from another part of the room.

Raven raised an eyebrow at him.  “Eh, I was straight up eavesdropping,” he told her with a smirk.

“You’ll figure it, Ms. Reyes,” Jaha expertly ignored all comments not siding with his own.

She growled in frustration. “Sinclair,” she enunciated his name.  “What do we have to work with?”

He gave her an apologetic look before answering.  “Not much.  The exodus ship won’t hold as many people as need to come down, but from what engineering can tell, it should hold for the landing.  It’s more the rest of the people that I’m worried about.”

“Just make sure there’s someone with,” she coughed, “engineering skills on board that ship.”

Sinclair smothered a smile.  “I’ll do my best,” he informed her.  “Now, what I really needed:  to pick your brain for how to get the rest of the people down.”

“Are there any short range shuttles that could be reworked?”

“Maybe,” he was thoughtful.  “But we still need more options.”

“What about the Ark itself?” Murphy asked, sauntering closer to where she was seated. “I’ve always dreamed about the Council plummeting to earth when they got too excited talking about the Return for our grandkids.”

“Shut up Murphy, that would be,” she started, rolling her eyes before they widened in sudden inspiration, “fucking brilliant!” she finished with a shout, jumping to her feet in excitement.  “I could just kiss you!”

“I’m not stopping you,” he stepped closer.

She shoved him away.  “I said ‘could’ not ‘would.’”  She sat back down and began rapidly talking logistics with Sinclair who soon got behind the idea the more she explained.  Murphy leaned against the wall, watching her talk animatedly at the screen.  She shot him an enthusiastic grin and got the smallest hint of a smile in return.

After brainstorming how to turn the Ark into a landing ship for an hour, Raven sat back satisfied.  Murphy had wandered away sometime in there, unable to follow the conversation.  She got up to find a little food when she heard Clarke and Bellamy’s voices arguing.  It was apparently too much to hope that they would reappear in camp, all animosity magically drained away.

“I’m not saying guns would be a bad idea,” Clarke was sighing exasperatedly.  “I’m just saying that we don’t know where to get them.”

“So we’re arguing about how we both think having guns would give us the advantage over the grounders?” Bellamy replied.

Raven wandered to the entrance of the dropship and spotted them walking toward the fire pit where Octavia and Monty were sitting; Miller was in the process of closing the gate and Murphy and Jasper were nowhere to be seen. 

Clarke’s voice raised.  “I’m not arguing!”

Bellamy chuckled.  “Your antagonistic tone could have fooled me.”

“What are we talking about?” Raven called, making her way over to the group and attempting to stop the “argument” before it escalated.

“Bellamy and I were _agreeing_ ,” Clarke emphasized. “that having guns would give us an advantage over the grounders if they were to attack.  _I_ just felt the need to point out that we have been looking for them unsuccessfully since basically the day we landed.”

“Seriously, why did we land near all the peace-loving survivalists’ bunkers?” Octavia added.

“Maybe Mount Weather?” Monty suggested.  “The map did say they had supplies.  That could include guns.”

“But they’re at war with the grounders,” Octavia pointed out.

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend?” Monty smiled at the group.

“Or, worst case scenario,” Raven smirked with glee.  “We are criminals; we can steal shit.”

Octavia burst out laughing.  Bellamy joined in.

“Stealing shit is my specialty!” Miller called from his watch post.

“What do you say, Princess?” Bellamy turned to Clarke.

She shook her head, but couldn’t stop a smile from creeping onto her face.  “Worst case scenario we steal shit,” she agreed. 

“Oh, Raven. I found something at the bunker for you.”  She slid her pack off her back and pulled out a crankable charger. 

Raven took it from her, turning it over in her hands, she looked up to blind Clarke with a brilliant smile.  “You, _mi amiga_ , are my favorite.”

She heard a resounding, “Ha!” from Clarke just before she re-entered the dropship to tinker with her new toy.  The rest of them could figure out how they were going to steal some guns; _she_ was going to take this thing apart and make it work better than it had ever intended to be.


	8. It's Now or Never

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke just rolled her eyes. “Anyway, talking to Mount Weather—”   
> “The thing is, Princess,” Bellamy interrupted. “We’ve been talking and your Plan B, is actually our Plan A.”  
> “Wait! You don’t even want to try to talk to them?”  
> “If they’re at war with the grounders and we’re coming from grounder territory, the chances of them wanting to just talk are slim to none,” Raven pointed out, sounding somewhat reluctant.  
> “But we shouldn’t we at least try?” Clarke could feel everyone else disagreeing. She knew it made sense, but they should at least try, right?   
> “You know we’re right,” Bellamy pointed out.

Everyone was sitting around the fire, eating a dinner of roasted squirrel and root vegetables.  It was mostly quiet, everyone left to their own thoughts when Miller spoke up.  “Hey, I just realized we never got to hear what our lovely mechanic did to get pinched.”

A grin broke out onto Raven’s face, “Unapproved spacewalk.  Mecha was _freezing_ at night, no one wanted to do anything about it, so I figured I could go out and try my hand seeing what was causing it, since there was nothing wrong on the internal side. Didn’t get to study it long enough or work my magic before they were tugging me back inside and arresting me, though,” she shrugged it off.

“You just wanted to go for a spacewalk,” Murphy dryly teased.

“That too,” she smiled.  She got a contemplative look before she met Clarke’s sad gaze from across the fire.  “That was one of the signs of the Ark failure, wasn’t it?”

“Yup,” Clarke popped off the word ruefully.  “My dad was looking into the problem when he found the failure.”

“Wait a second, was your dad about six foot, blonde hair, told ridiculous jokes, Jake?”

Clarke recalled the memory of her dad at the dinner table laughing.  Looking up, she caught Bellamy’s eye and he offered her a small smile.  “Yeah, that was him.”

“I knew him,” Raven said wistfully.  “He was one of the few engineers who wouldn’t automatically kick me out or tell me I was wrong when I pointed out a flaw in his mechanics.  Oh my god, what was that one joke he would always tell?”

“Do you want my dead batteries?” Clarke automatically asked.

“I’ll give them to you free of charge,” Raven laughed out the answer.  “He was a good man, Clarke.”

“Thanks,” Clarke answered with a small voice before taking a quick breath and turning toward other thoughts.  “Anyway, Mount Weather, I’m thinking we approach them in a few days.  Get our arguments lined out between now and then:  how we would be a good ally and why they should help arm us against the grounders, et cetera.”

“Do you not remember how the peaceful approach went with the grounders?” Murphy returned.

“Okay,” she acquiesced. “But maybe it’ll be different.  Mount Weather hasn’t tried to kill us yet.”

Raven snorted.  “I like the qualifying ‘yet’ in your statement.” Clarke shot her a glare.

“Make a plan; expect the plan to fail.  Have a back-up plan; expect that to go wrong.  And then wing it,” Bellamy said.

Clarke’s gaze swung to him incredulously.  “Please don’t tell me that was your and Octavia’s philosophy when you were practically the most notorious criminals on the Ark.”

The corners of his mouth twitched. “I won’t tell you that then.”

Octavia laughed jovially.  “I think we were on plan R when we finally got caught.”

“You had that many plans?” Monty questioned.

“No, plan R is just ‘run for it,’” the rest of the group broke into laughter.

Clarke just rolled her eyes.  “Anyway, talking to Mount Weather—” 

“The thing is, Princess,” Bellamy interrupted.  “We’ve been talking and _your_ Plan B, is actually _our_ Plan A.”

 “Wait! You don’t even want to try to talk to them?”

“If they’re at war with the grounders and we’re coming from grounder territory, the chances of them wanting to just talk are slim to none,” Raven pointed out, sounding somewhat reluctant.

“But we shouldn’t we at least try?” Clarke could feel everyone else disagreeing.  She knew it made sense, but they should at least _try_ , right? 

“You know we’re right,” Bellamy pointed out.

She didn’t know if he had read her mind or was simply defending his statement.  “Fuck you,” she replied half-heartedly.  His lips quirked up at the corners, when she met his eyes.  She heaved a sigh.  “Okay, fine.  I give.” She threw her head back exasperatedly, bowing to the will of the group.  She didn’t like it, but she had to admit it made sense given their experience on the ground so far.  “But if this is our Plan A, we’re plotting it in full.  I don’t want anyone getting killed because we didn’t think this through.”

“Leave it to the actual criminals,” Murphy grinned.  “We’ve got this.”

“Are you saying being a traitor to the Ark is not an actual crime?” Clarke questioned, voice somewhere between indignant and sarcastic.

Murphy let out a dry laugh.  “No, I’d say what you did was more heroic than criminal.”  Clarke startled back, surprised at this side of Murphy.  “Then again,” he continued. “Anyone who actively goes against the Council is a hero in my book.” 

“I agree with Murphy—Gods, never thought those words would come out of my mouth,” Miller looked slightly disgusted with himself.  “I’m thinking it should be me, the Blakes, and Murphy that go in.”

“What about the rest of us?” she objected.  “You want us to sit back and twiddle our thumbs?  Because you’ve got another think coming if—”

Octavia broke into her tirade. “How many times have you broken in somewhere or stolen something?  How many fights have you been in?”

“But—” Clarke started and indignant retort.  Octavia leveled her with a look, and she deflated a bit.  “Bellamy’s been teaching me to fight,” she mumbled half to herself.

“Not to rain on your parade, Clarke,” Monty shot her an apologetic look.  “But I think Nate’s right.  I know _I’d_ be more hindrance than help.”

“Me too,” Jasper voiced quietly.  “I may be getting better with my ability,” he shared a nod with Murphy.  “But it’s still a 50-50 shot on whether I’d be a liability if I went.  And I’m not ready to test out my control on a situation where I could potentially hurt you all.”

“Well, _I’m_ not okay with it,” Raven objected from her seat.  “I can help with any tech you guys run into; I shouldn’t be stuck here when I could help.”

“We’ve all gotten through jobs without any technokinetics before,” Bellamy explained.  “Octavia can sneak up on cameras to disable them, Miller can just phase through doors, making electronic keys useless.”

“I can disable and stop any alarms or warning systems,” she countered.

“Alarms automatically mean Plan R,” Murphy tried to joke, but just got a sharp glower from Raven.

Bellamy stared down Raven’s scowl when it turned on him as he started talking.  “It comes back to what I said earlier:  expect the plan to go to shit.  And when it does go to shit, we can’t afford to be worrying about your safety, especially if it comes to a fight. And before you can object.  I know you’ve been training, but it’s the same as it is with Clarke.  You guys aren’t ready for down and dirty, fight for your life.  And if any of us are too focused on making sure _you_ don’t get killed, _our_ chances of getting hurt increase.”

Her glare didn’t lessen, as she crossed her arms.  “I’m at least scouting it out, so you don’t run into any unknown tech security systems.”

Bellamy considered it.  “Fine.  That does sound like a good idea.  You and Miller can go.  But do _not_ enter the Mountain, only what you can sense from the outside.”

“Fine,” She agreed tersely.

Bellamy’s gaze swung over to Clarke.  “You’ve been too quiet, Princess.”

She smiled sweetly at him.  “ _You_ said, ‘Expect the plan to go to shit’ and when that happens ‘a likelihood of fighting.’  You _also_ said, ‘If it comes down to a fight you want me there in the back ready to Heal you all if you come out worse for wear.’” Her smiled deepened as his frown did the same.  “So, I propose that I come with.  Not into the Mountain,” she cut off his objections.  “Just outside it, so that I can Heal anything if you run into trouble.  I could also be a set of eyes for if there’s any trouble of additional people coming into the Mountain.”  She waited for his response and looked at the other three who would be going on the mission.  Her mouth turned up with the knowledge that there was no reason for them to protest.

“You’re not going to allow anything less, are you?” Bellamy asked.  She shook her head. “Okay, fine. Deal,” Bellamy agreed.

Clarke let her smile beam triumphantly.

 

* * *

 

 

It was late, the night before the heist, and Raven was restless.  Despite her continued arguments, even after the scouting and finding a significant amount of tech throughout the Mountain’s systems, everyone was telling her it’d be best if she just stayed near the dropship. Miller had pointed out that they should make sure the Ark had a contact.  And Murphy insisted that someone should be there to ensure the grounders didn’t think it was an opportunity to lay a trap while no one was home.  Even when she pointed out Monty and Jasper could do that on their own, no one would budge.  “I already have four people going into danger I’m worried about, I don’t want to have a fifth if I don’t have to,” Clarke had told her.

Raven had stomped off, mostly because she found it hard to argue with the sincerity in Clarke’s eyes.  A month on the ground and even without Bellamy’s Ability, Raven knew Clarke considered everyone on the ground to be her responsibility.  Hell, that woman considered everyone on the Ark her responsibility.  Maybe it was the Healer in her that couldn’t stand for anyone to get hurt.

She was pacing the second floor of the dropship when she heard someone come through the hatch.  “Damn, Raven.  You need to calm down.  It’s not like you’re the one going into hostile territory to steal shit.”

She whipped around to confront Murphy.  “And that’s exactly the problem.  If _I_ was going, I could know what was happening and I could have some say in the outcome.  Instead, I’m stuck here leaving it to you idiots to get it done.”

“You’re worried about us,” he smirked taking a step closer to where she had stopped pacing. 

“Well, maybe not _you_ ,” she retorted.

“So, you know I can handle myself.  Good.” He took another step closer.

She crossed her arms, but refused to back away.  “Not exactly what I meant.”

“Do you want me to prove how well I can handle myself?” He took another step, leaving only a foot of space between them.  “Or more accurately, handle you?”

“And how are you planning on doing that,” she raised an eyebrow and gave him a challenging smirk to match his.  His next step faltered a second.  She pounced.  “Oh, so it’s all talk and no game?  I see how it is.”

“Definitely not,” he took the final step, crowding into her space, but doing nothing else.

She raised her chin slightly to look him in the eye and cocked her head. “Let’s get on with it then.”

Without further ado, his mouth descended on hers in a demanding kiss and he began walking her back until she was pressed against the wall.

“You closed the hatch, right?” Raven pulled out of the kiss for a moment.

“Yeah,” Murphy grunted before resuming the kiss, hands wandering.

Raven pulled back.  “And we both agree to murder Bellamy if he says anything?”

“Definitely,” he agreed.

“And—”

“Would you just shut up?” Murphy growled.

“Make me,” Raven challenged. 

He more than did.

 

* * *

 

 

The group was getting ready to leave for Mount Weather.  The plan was to hike there during the day and wait until evening when hopefully the majority of the people inside would be busy with dinner or such; if luck was on their side they would be back to camp before full dark. 

The group was hovering around the gate eager to get going, but Murphy was still M.I.A.  Bellamy opened himself to the thoughts around him.  He had been practicing Clarke’s river trick pretty much 24/7 and it succeeded for the most part, just not when someone had a particularly strong thought, and for some reason, Clarke’s thoughts seemed harder to tune out than the others.  It didn’t take him half a second to locate Murphy via his thoughts, and Bellamy simultaneously regretted searching him out and was eternally grateful for the success of the river.

“Are you okay?” Clarke called him back to his immediate surroundings.

He coughed once.  “Uh, yeah.  We’re just waiting on Murphy.”

“I think I saw him head to the dropship earlier.  I can go look if he’s still there.”

“No, I think he’s on his way now.”

Half a minute later Murphy sauntered over, followed closely, but not too closely by Raven.  _One word and I will end you_ , she thought at him.  He just raised an eyebrow in response.

“We ready to go?” Miller asked.

“Lead the way,” Clarke gestured toward the gate. 

When Raven and Miller scouted the Mountain, they found a parking garage that led to a tunnel at the end of which was a door into the facility.  Clarke would be left hidden just outside of the parking garage so she could warn if anyone was coming. Miller would phase through the door and open it from the other side to let the rest in.  Once inside he would then get a sense of the place while Bellamy reached out for thoughts.  They’d find the arsenal—Lincoln told Octavia the Mountain Men had a seemingly endless source of weapons—steal as many guns, or other useful things, as they could, and get out.  Ideally, without anyone in the Mountain noticing.

The walk to Mount Weather was pretty uneventful.  Everyone was kind of in their own world, mostly not talking.  Bellamy casually ran a check in on everyone’s mental state, making sure all heads were firmly on their shoulders going into a big job like this.  Typical Octavia was completely at ease, the job a small note in the back of her mind, but no significant worry; her thoughts drifted to a particular grounder and their last rendezvous. He clenched his jaw and skimmed over to Miller.  Miller was determined and relaxed, a slight worry of what they would find on the other side of the door after he phased through, but nothing significant.  Bellamy slid over toward Murphy’s thoughts and just as quickly moved toward Clarke; he did _not_ want to relive Murphy’s last few hours at camp with him. 

And there was Clarke, strong, resolute, and repeating the plan over and over in her mind as if that would ensure everything turned out okay.  She moved to review all the fighting tactics he had been teaching her, especially those with the dirk.  He fingered his own knives, tucked up his sleeves and the dagger in his belt, all gifts from Lincoln who, after trying to talk them out of their plan and failing, said he couldn’t allow them to go in there with their piss-poor excuse for weapons; the last part was more a reinterpretation from Octavia when she had brought them back to camp after a clandestine meeting with Lincoln.  _That man is going to get himself killed over how much he cares for her_ , Clarke had thought when Octavia had presented the presents. Bellamy found himself grudgingly agreeing with the sentiment.

“Alright, this is where you get off, Princess,” he told Clarke at the entrance of the parking garage.  “Stay out of sight and walkie us if you see anyone approaching.”

“And what if someone comes from the other end of the tunnel; I can’t see that from here,” she asked, still trying to push the boundaries of what they had agreed her role would be.

“Then Miller or I will sense or hear them coming.  Don’t worry about us so much.  We’ll be okay.  We’ve got two early warning systems and four fighters. It’ll take a hell of a lot for us to get into too much trouble.”

“I’m not worried, I just don’t like not knowing what’s going on,” she persisted.

He cocked an eyebrow; the unspoken reminder that his Ability allowed him to know exactly what she was feeling even if she didn’t admit it out loud.

She rolled her eyes, but then they became earnest.  “Promise?  That you’ll all come back in one piece?”

“Well, worst case scenario,” Murphy broke into the conversation.  “We come back in two pieces and you put us back together again.

Clarke flipped Murphy off and met each of their eyes. “Stay safe.  I’ll let you know if I see anyone coming.”

The four nodded their assent and moved through the garage.  Once they got to the door, Octavia pulled the walkie out of her pocket.  “We’re at the door,” she radioed.  “We’ll only use the walkie if it’s an emergency in which case you get the hell out of here and get back to camp regardless of us.”

“I’m not leaving you,” Clarke’s indignant voice came back.

“Yes you are.  Because if they find us, they’ll be going back to camp and Raven, Monty, and Jasper need to know.”

“Fine.  But you all stay safe so we don’t have to worry about that.”

“Agreed,” Octavia even let out a small smile.  “You stay safe too.”

 _Stay safe, Princess._ Bellamy thought to himself.

 _Bellamy?_ Clarke’s thought came to him with overwhelmed confusion.

 _Clarke?_ He thought, equally confused.

 _Well, this is a whole new level of you needing to stay out of my head,_ she thought back, but it was more amused than irked.

 _Octavia?_ He directed the thought at his sister.

She wheeled around at him, mouth agape.  “What the fuck, Bell?”

“I guess I figured out a new part of my Ability?” he said, still unsure what to think.

“Well, we’ll figure it out later.  No time for it right now.”

“Agreed.  Miller if you would,” he gestured to the doors, ignoring the looks the two men were giving him and Octavia.

“On it,” Miller said and stepping easily through the door.  Two seconds later the door was opening and he grinned at them.  “Welcome to Mount Weather.”

“Alright, where to now?” Murphy asked gruffly as they filed through. 

“Likely have to go down a level,” Miller said, head cocked eyes unfocused, like he was thinking.  “This place if fucking huge.  Like at least the size of the Ark.  There’s hundreds of people, mostly on the fifth level down.”

“Good,” Octavia said.  “Let’s just hope their armory is a little closer to this entrance than that.  Why don’t we make our way down a level until Bellamy finds someone who can get us pointed in the right direction.”

They moved through the second door and onward and Bellamy could feel the pattern of Clarke’s thoughts fading in distance and being drowned out by the myriad of others.  His river was definitely helping, but it was definitely a hell of a lot harder to maintain with the number of people in the Mountain; Miller was definitely right about this being similar in size to the Ark.

He and Miller held up their hands for the group to stop at the same time and shared a grin. Bellamy idly thought about what a great team him and Miller would have made on the Ark.  Not that Octavia was a bad partner, but between him and Miller they would never have been caught.

The four crowded in a crevice just around the corner as someone in what appeared to be a guard’s uniform walked past.  Skimming his thoughts proved to be of little use; the man was thinking about what he was going to have for dinner, not anything of significance.  Bellamy shook his head, then quickly grabbed Murphy back from where he was about to enter the hallway. Another guard was passing in the other direction.  They waited for this one to go past and he had a little better luck.

“O, security camera high right side in the hallway about twenty feet down…go,” he whispered when the coast was clear

She nodded and seemed to fade out of existence.  Miller sucked in a sharp breath. “Just realized I never saw her use her Ability,” he whispered. “Really glad she’s on our side.”

Bellamy smirked.  Now a group of himself, Miller, _and_ Octavia. Now that would be an unstoppable crime trio.  “Let’s go,” he told the other two men.  “We’re going to have to do this quicker now that we’ve taken out a security camera.  The more we have to take out, the quicker they’ll notice us.”

The group moved quickly down the hall and found a set of stairs.  “Into the belly of the beast,” Murphy muttered.

When they pulled to a stop at the next landing.  Miller met Bellamy’s gaze.  “Can you figure out what’s going on in that room?  There’s…twelve people in there, so it’s definitely something.”

Bellamy turned his thoughts there, focusing in on first one person in the room, and then the next. He looked to the faces around him after he finished.  “Well, there’s good news and there’s bad.  I found where they keep their guns and weapons.” They nodded with smiles.  “Through the room with twelve men, a.k.a. security headquarters.”

“Fuck,” Miller muttered.

“Three a piece,” Octavia smirked. “We can take that.”

“My thoughts exactly, Little Blake,” Murphy smiled.

Bellamy shook his head.  “We’d have to keep all twelve of them occupied and subdue them all before they can make a call out to anyone else.  Also problematic, if someone calls in to them and they don’t answer.”

“Well then we’d better to this quick,” Octavia smiled, undeterred.

“They’re on the other side of a closed door, so we can’t really do this subtly…and they’ve just dispatched someone to see why the hall and stair cameras aren’t working.”

“I didn’t damage, just pulled a wire slightly out of place.  They might just think it’s an accident. But with two, I don’t know.”

“Then let’s go now before their guard is up,” Murphy grabbed the handle of the door to the floor.

The walkie in Octavia’s pocket gave a burst of static.  They all stopped in their tracks.  It did it again.  Octavia pulled it out.  When it didn’t crackle a third time, she raised an eyebrow.  “You think she’s alright?”

“Probably just dropped it or something,” Bellamy said to reassure himself and the rest of them.  “She’s too far for me to hear her properly with all these other thoughts around.”  He could sense the slight unease in everyone.  But he knew from experience that when on a job, every little thing seemed like it could be something, and he tried to put it out of his mind.

“We’re here, we’re close.  Let’s just finish what we came for and get the hell out of here and back to Clarke,” Murphy grunted.  “Not like we could do anything right now if something was wrong anyway.”

“Which it’s not,” Octavia said resolutely. “Let’s do this.”

Bellamy nodded and gathered everyone around.  “There’s another camera, right in front of the door, so no stopping.  I’d rather we just burst in than give them a second to realize that someone’s there when the camera goes out.”

Miller picked up the instructions. “There’s one guard just outside the door and one just inside.  Two sitting on this side of a panel, one standing.  Four on the other side of the desk, one standing in front of the monitors, other three are lounging. One on this side of the armory door, two on the other side.”

Bellamy started barking out orders. “Octavia on point, Miller will have to phase through the door and let us in. So, as O is dropping the first guy you get through there.  The sooner you can let us in the better. Miller’s got the guy on the other side of the door and those at the desk with Octavia.  I’ll head left around the panel, Murphy you right.  Whosever free of the four of us moves toward the arsenal door.” 

They all nodded their understanding and got their game faces on. Murphy pulled the door handle; as quickly and stealthily as they could the four moved through the door, down the hall and to the left.  And it was pretty much exactly what he had told Clarke:  you make Plan A and expect it to go to shit.

The first thirty seconds of the plan went off more or less flawlessly; Octavia got the jump on the outside guard and Miller phased through the door.  But the guy outside was down and the door hadn’t moved.  After half a minute, he growled.  “We need to be in there now.  Murphy?”

“With pleasure,” he responded, flame flickering along his hands as he pressed along the edge of the door, burning wood and softening metal before he kicked it down forcefully.

The other three entered to find Miller barely fending off his assailants, and two people on radios already calling for back up.  Alarms started blaring.

Bellamy took out the guard who was coming up behind them with a swift backward kick, before he turned and plunged his dagger into the man’s thigh.  He let out a screamed and Bellamy pulled his knife out while simultaneously kicking the man into the other guard coming up behind him sending them both flying back. 

He was vaguely aware of Octavia and Murphy fighting other people and Miller gaining the upper hand now that he had only two assailants rather than seven.  He turned to face one of the guards who had something similar to the Ark’s shock-batons in hand, Bellamy could even hear the sickening buzz of its charge. The guard twirled it in his grip, eyeing Bellamy up and down.  “Who the fuck are you people?  You’re not Outsiders.” He thrust the baton out; Bellamy easily avoided it, dancing back a step.  The guard held up the baton, looking at it with a wicked smile.  “By the way, it’s set to kill, not stun.  Never actually used this setting, but I’m eager to try it out.”  Bellamy rolled his eyes, waiting for the man’s next move. 

He didn’t have to wait long.  The man swung the club again, trying to knock Bellamy’s knife out of his hand. Bellamy dodged the baton and used the opportunity to step inside the man’s defense; with his left hand he punched the man in the throat, followed swiftly by a strong knee to the stomach, and finished him with a hit to the head with the hilt of his dagger.  “If you wanted banter, you should have gone for Murphy,” Bellamy informed the guard as he stepped over his unconscious body.

He took a quick survey of the room and threw one of his short blades to take out a guard who was stepping up behind Octavia as she finished off another guard.  “Thanks, Big Brother,” she smiled at him from across the room when she heard the thunk of the falling body behind her.  He returned her quick smile and kicked in the knee of the man who was in front of him.  The guard stumbled forward and Miller punched him in the side of the face. The man fell.

The four were standing in a room full of dead or unconscious bodies.  “Two more to go,” Bellamy nodded to the door to the armory.  “Miller?”

Miller stepped through the door and it opened a second later.  The two men—no boys, they couldn’t be over seventeen—who were supposed to be guarding the guns and weapons were on their knees, hands above their heads.  “Take whatever you want,” one squeaked.

The four shared a look and began to furiously fill their packs with guns and ammo; they had agreed on at least eight guns and as much ammo as they could get.  Within two minutes Bellamy was urging them back down the hall through which they had come.  “Three up ahead,” he shouted back to those behind him over the alarms.  “Expect guns now.”

And sure enough, gunshots were ringing out as soon as they turned the corner.  Bellamy slammed back against the wall and pulled out one of the smaller guns he had picked for himself.  He double checked that it was loaded, clicked the safety off, and peered around the corner again.  He let off three shots, the dumbasses hadn’t even thought to look for cover.  “Gods, I missed my guns,” he muttered.  “Let’s go.” He motioned for the rest to follow.

The group sped past the downed men, up the stairs, and down the second hall, Octavia and Murphy protecting their rear with a combination of bullets and fireballs.  They raced through the hallways and were finally out the doors.  Bellamy only stopped to breathe once they were outside the parking garage.

“How long do we have until they’re after us?” Miller panted.

“They were pretty pissed we made it out the doors, so we might have a little buffer before they reorganize for an outside manhunt,” he told them. 

“Let’s get Clarke and get back to camp,” Octavia said, heading up the slope to where they had left Clarke.

It was then that he realized he didn’t hear her pattern of thoughts, he stretched his Ability as far as it could go, still nothing.  He sprinted past Octavia who immediately picked up her pace; the other two hurried after them.  He came to the slight plateau where Clarke had said she was going to be.  The walkie talkie was smashed to pieces on a rock and the ground was covered in skid marks and footprints.  Then he saw the blood.  It was smattered on the rocks on the side of the mountain, a small puddle of it at the base of the wall. 

Octavia picked up the dirk he had given Clarke from the brush a couple feet away.  It was red with blood.  At least there was the small hope that the blood on the wall was from whomever attacked her, rather than Clarke.  But the fact that it was here and nothing other than the evidence of a skirmish could mean nothing good.

“Fuck,” Miller murmured, gaping at the scene.  Bellamy agreed whole-heartedly.


	9. Life on the Ground Never Did Come Easily

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “From what Anya has said,” the Commander addressed Bellamy. “You and this Healer are the leaders of your group. We will talk. Your friends can stay outside.” She turned and walked toward a building.   
> 'Let’s see where this goes,' Clarke sighed at him. 'Tell the others to hold wherever they are; you’ll let them know if the plan changes.'  
> 'Do you really think this is a good idea?' He returned.  
> 'I don’t think we have another option at the moment,' was all she said.

A horn echoed through the trees, bouncing off the rocks and mixing with the faint sound of alarms.  The group of delinquents simply stood dumbfounded at the discovery of Clarke’s disappearance.  Bellamy stared at the ground, mind reeling, trying to think of what to do.  They needed Clarke; _he_ needed Clarke.  And he had left her out here by herself, knowing that her fighting skills still left something to be desired.

“Did the Mountain Men get her?” Murphy asked, breaking him out of his thoughts.

“Deerskin boots, not rubber soles,” Miller grunted, pointing at one of the preserved footprints.  “It was grounders.”

“We need to move,” Octavia interrupted the debate. “We need cover.  Now.”

“No,” Bellamy shot back vehemently. “We need to find Clarke and get her back.  Gods know what the grounders are doing to her.”

Octavia was already tugging his arm and moving down the slope.  “Unless you want to die before you get a chance to save her, we need cover.  Do you hear that horn?  The one that’s coming from the trees not the mountain?”  Bellamy noticed it for the first time.  It was the same sound that had broken up the battle with the grounders, the one that led to panic from them.

Octavia continued when the three men started down the slope after her.  “Lincoln told me about it.  That’s the grounders’ warning call for acid fog. We need cover.”

“Garage?” Murphy asked.

“And be sitting ducks for when Mount Weather organizes themselves?  I don’t think so,” Octavia retorted, calling over her shoulder.  “Follow me.  The horn’s coming from the east, so I’m hoping if you can keep up we’ll just make it to the waterfall cave I saw on Lincoln’s map.”

She took off, not sparing another look behind her.  Murphy and Miller were right on her tail.  Bellamy spared one more look around the plateau, groaned helplessly and loped after the other three.  _As soon as this clears, I’m coming for you, Clarke_ , he promised.

They sprinted across the terrain, gaining a number of small scrapes and bruises. As they ran, Bellamy could smell the acid taint in the air, and in the one glimpse he risked looking over his shoulder, he saw a sickly yellow fog rolling closer.  They finally saw a waterfall ahead and dove after the other three, becoming completely drenched in the process.  He watched as the fog dissipated upon coming in contact with the water of the river and the falls and heaved a sigh of relief.

He looked over to check on the rest of the group.  Murphy was sprawled on the floor, Miller resting his hands on his knees panting, and Octavia had hers resting on her head taking deep breaths.  They all took a minute to catch their breaths and make sure shortness of breath and sore legs was the worst they fared.

“Can we walkie the dropship from here?  I know we lost them before the Mountain, but we’re a little bit closer now,” Miller asked anxiously, as he stood to his full height.

“We can try,” Octavia said, pulling it out of her pack.  She clicked down the button.  “Dropship?  Come in, Dropship.”  No response or any indication that there was someone else on the line. “They’re smart.  If the fog goes to camp, they’ll close up the dropship,” she nodded reassuringly.

Bellamy shuffled to the back of the cave, leaving the other three talking about what could be happening back at camp.  He knew that Raven, Monty, and Jasper could handle themselves; he wasn’t worried about them.  But Clarke.  That was on him.  He didn’t know where she was or if she was hurt or what the grounders wanted from her.

He sat on a rock and opened himself up to the plane of thoughts.  He pushed and stretched as far as he could go, bypassing the three at the entrance of the tunnel and seeking further.  Reaching for that familiar pattern of thoughts, the one that had been so hard to ignore this past month and a half; it should be easy to find it.  But it wasn’t.  He pushed further.  The grounders couldn’t have gotten _that_ far.  They would have been caught by the fog too, would have had to hide out.

His own errant thoughts pulled him back to himself.  It’s his fault she was out there captured.  The whole point of Clarke not coming _into_ Mount Weather was because she wasn’t prepared enough for a full fight.  He thought she would be fine outside, but he just left her alone, vulnerable.  And now the grounders had her and gods knew what they wanted with her.  He shoved the worries aside and reached outward again, pushing boundaries of what he had done before.

“Bell,” Octavia put a hand on his shoulder, pulling him out of his seeking.  “I don’t even need your Ability to know how anxious you are.  And that you’re pushing yourself too hard to find her.”  It was only then that he noticed he was swaying dizzily on his spot.  “We’re going to find her and get her back.  And you’ll be no good to us, _or her_ , if you’re too worn out to actually fight.”

He nodded acknowledgement, but said nothing.

“I vote we go back to camp and get the rest before we find the grounders’ village, assuming that’s where they took her,” Miller spoke up.  “Monty, Raven, and Jasper wouldn’t forgive us if we didn’t tell them about Clarke and especially if we didn’t let them help.”

“We’ve got guns now,” Murphy added.   “Plus,” he smirked. “I am so ready to see the grounders try to take on Jasper when he’s all hulked up.”

Miller shook his head in exasperation.

“How do we know when it’s all clear?” Bellamy asked Octavia.

She shrugged.  “It differs.  Sometimes the fog settles in for a while; sometimes it’s here and gone.  I guess we’ll just have to keep looking out the entrance.”  He could feel the concern radiating off of her.  “Bell, just remember, they’re stuck wherever they are for as long as we’re stuck here.”

“But, what if—”

“Don’t play that game, man,” Miller interrupted.  “If we start playing that game we’re just going to get in our own way before we can actually do something to the bastards.  You want to be proactive?  Start thinking about strategies of getting into the village and getting Clarke out.”

A new task handed to him, Bellamy zeroed in his efforts.

Two hours later they met up with Raven, Monty and Jasper at the bunker near the bridge where they had met and fought with the grounders a few weeks prior.  Octavia was to lead the way to the village based on what she remembered from Lincoln’s maps.  

“Let’s get going, I can almost hear her now,” Bellamy grumbled as a greeting.

“Hold up a sec, Bell,” Octavia stopped him and pulled her pack from her back.  She shuffled through it and pulled out two rifles and handed them to Monty and Raven.  “I assume you don’t need one,” she said, somewhat tentatively to Jasper.

“Nope,” he gritted out.  “And I’m basically holding on by a thread right now, so I agree that we get the fuck going.”  His tone gave away just how close he was to snapping.

Once everyone was armed and ready Bellamy began to push the pace.  After a minute, Bellamy located the familiar pattern of thoughts, his shoulders sagged with relief; she was here, she was alive.  But no sooner had he felt the relief wash over him, did her immediately tense.  Something was off; her thought pattern wasn’t nearly as strong as it usually was.  Kind of dulled, but fighting to the surface.

 _Clarke?_ He sent out hoping he could project as far as he could hear.

 _Bellamy?_ the thought came through a fog.

 _Are you okay?  Where are you?  What happened?_ The thoughts flew to her in rapid succession.

 _Slow down._ She reprimanded groggily.  Her thoughts were jumbled, unclear, dizzy; it was hard for him to beat through the cloud to understand her.  _I’m okay.  Locked in some room, I think._   Then he could feel the small sense of triumph.  _I kicked at least one of their asses…he just had friends._

 _I know.  It’s okay.  You did good.  We’re coming for you._ He told her.  There was something else.  Something of the peripheries that she was avoiding thinking about, so he wouldn’t find out.  “What aren’t you telling me,” he muttered aloud.

“What’s the matter?” Octavia pounced on him.  “Did you talk to her?”

“How would he talk to her?  Isn’t he just listening for her thoughts?” Raven asked.

“New element of his Ability,” Octavia dismissed.  “Well?” she addressed him again.

“She’s hiding something from me—fucking hell, Princess!” He felt her strong jolt of pain reverberate through her mind.  _You’re definitely not okay!  You’re hurt!_

He could hear the strained smile through her thoughts. _I hid something from you for at least a minute.  I call that an accomplishment,_ she teased.  He tried to send encouraging emotions to her, but could still feel her mind pushing the pain aside, trying to ignore it.  _I’ll be okay.  You guys just get back to the dropship. I’ll be fine.  You don’t need to come for me._

“Bellamy!” Raven yelled, yanking his shoulder back.  “Don’t you fucking say something like that and ignore us.  What happened?”

“She’s hurt,” he snapped.  “And she’s trying to tell me not to come for her.”

“Can’t she Heal herself?” Monty asked, Bellamy could sense the panic rising in him and the apprehension of everyone else in the group.

“Apparently not,” he growled.  He turned back to the conversation with Clarke. _We’re coming for you.  All of us._

 _Bellamy. No._ She powered through a burst of pain as she must have shifted her position.  _I’m in the middle of the fucking grounder village.  Surrounded by grounders—I don’t know how many—who are all probably trained in combat.  There’s only seven of you.  I’m not worth it.  You need—_ her tirade cut off as someone entered the room she was in. 

He sensed her being wrenched up from where she had been sitting and tried to follow the conversation, but his familiarity with Clarke was the only reason he could listen to her so intently from this distance; the other person—and the rest of the grounder village for that matter—were more of a blur of feeling.  He could tell the person Clarke was talking to was pissed, but he couldn’t figure out anything more specific.  Clarke’s reply was a sharp burst of fiery anger and then it blew out into a trickle.  She had been knocked unconscious.

“Fuck,” he muttered, focusing on the group around him.  They had continued walking toward the village as he communed with Clarke.  And now that his attention was no longer on her, he was bombarded with the anger, frustration, and worry of the group of delinquents.  Jasper was the most terrifying; the storm he had sensed from the first time he saw Jasper hulk out was just under the surface, ready to pop.  Bellamy really didn’t want to be the needle that did it.

“Well?” Raven demanded.

“She doesn’t want us to come for her,” he told them and was met with righteous indignation.  “Obviously we aren’t going to listen to her,” he scoffed in reply.  “She talked to someone for a second and then lost consciousness…”

“Okay, fine.  It would have been nice to have an inside man, but we’ve still got this,” Octavia mused, calm and ready for battle.  “Any chance you can reach Lincoln and ask him what’s going on?”

Bellamy narrowed his eyes.  “Even if I could, I wouldn’t.  We don’t know whose side he’s on right now.”

Octavia’s glare matched his, muscle for muscle.  “Yes, we do.  At least I do.  He’s been advocating for peace between us since we landed.  And I know he wouldn’t want anything to happen to Clarke.”

“I don’t want to be _that_ person, Octavia,” Miller disrupted their staring contest.  “But I agree with Bellamy.”

Everyone nodded their agreement and Octavia threw up her hands in frustration.  Monty spoke up, “Even if what you’re saying is true, would you really want to put him in the position of choosing between his people and you?”

She scoffed, but didn’t answer the question.  Instead she picked up her pace without looking back.  “If we’re getting Clarke back, let’s get her back.”

The group continued on its way, people muttering plans and strategies.  And soon they were perched outside the village, hiding in the brush up a ridge.

“There’s at least four dozen people through the gates.  Monty and Raven will sit up here with the rifles as back-up, ready to clear a path out of the village after we get Clarke.” The two nodded.  “Ready?”  He asked the rest.

“Let’s burn this shit up,” Murphy smiled in response.

“Clarke is somewhere toward the east side.  Miller and Octavia will sneak over that way and get her out, while the three of us,” he gestured to himself, Murphy, and Jasper, “will be calling all the attention to us on the gate and/or west side.”

They broke apart and Bellamy slinked toward the front gate with the two other men.  He looked at them and nodded.  “Murphy, if you’d do the honors?” he motioned toward the gate and the two grounders standing outside it.

“My pleasure,” he smirked and threw an exceedingly large fireball at the gate.

Bellamy blinked and Jasper was no longer the gangly man, but a roaring colossus of a person.  It thundered a growl and surged toward the gate, breaking it down.  Bellamy and Murphy exchanged looks and followed in its path.

Screams echoed from the other side of the gate and Bellamy could see people tearing weapons from scabbards, nooks, and crannies.  He reached for the only pistol he had brought with him, having deemed a rifle too unwieldly once locked in combat.  Murphy had elected to just use only his fists and his Ability, he added an assurance that Jasper’s manifestation of his Ability would no longer freak out about the fire.

Bellamy had about three seconds to breathe before the grounders noticed the colossus wasn’t alone.  He raised his gun and took out three grounders at the knee and knocked them unconscious as he passed; unless it was his or Octavia’s life on the line, or, he guessed, one of the other six they came down with—or a contract—Bellamy wasn’t one for killing willy-nilly.

Soon the gun wore out its usefulness, and he reached for one of his knives.  He parried. He dodged.  He thrust and slashed. He begged for attention to stay on him, Murphy, and Jasper.  Wave after wave of grounders came at them, almost making him doubt his original count.

Amidst the shouting in the strange grounder language, he heard one voice call commandingly over the others.  The grounders recognized it and stopped.  Bellamy took their short lapse in attention to grab the nearest grounder and hold a knife to his throat.

Clarke’s groggy, confused voice pierced his battle-focused brain. “Bellamy?”  The accompanying thoughts immediately hardened.   _You fucking asshole!  I told you to not come._

He looked up to see Clarke swaying slightly, but still looking pissed as a sharp looking woman, marked with tattoos and battle scars held a knife to her throat.  He could see a bandage wrapped around her stomach and his lips curled into a snarl.

“Call off your creature,” a woman said authoritatively, coming to stand next to where Clarke was being held at knife-point.  It was the same voice that had made the rest of the grounders come to a complete stop.

“He’s not a creature,” Murphy growled in return.  He looked over to where Jasper was angrily huffing, holding a grounder upside down by his leg.  “Jasper, lay off for a minute,” Murphy barked.

Jasper looked at him contemplatively, then moved his gaze over to Bellamy.  He slowly uprighted the grounder, who rightly looked terrified for his life, but kept him loosely in his grasp.

 _Octavia?_ He thought across camp, looking for his sister.  He located her with Miller sneaking around the side of a building to watch what was happening.

_Sorry, Bell.  They must have already been in the same building as her.  We didn’t have a chance._

Bellamy stared down the brown-haired woman who spoke as if used to being deferred to.

“Awaiting your orders, Commander,” the dark-skinned woman who held Clarke said.

The Commander, as she was apparently called, paid no mind to that woman, but instead looked to the Trikru leader.  “Anya,” she admonished.  “You did not say they were such worthy warriors.”

“They aren’t,” Anya spat.

“Each of them are more powerfully Gifted than any of our people.  Did you not think this important?”

“There’s only the one with fire and now we know about that _thing_ ,” she gestured toward Jasper

“You look only with your eyes.  The strongest current cannot always be seen on the surface.  That one can hear your every thought.  This one can heal someone on the brink of death.  I would wager my place as Commander that the rest of their number are also Gifted.”

Bellamy refused to allow shock to register on his face.  How did she know that?  He brushed it off.  _Clarke?  How are you doing?_

 _I’d be doing better if everyone I was trying to protect wasn’t risking their lives right now_ , she snapped back, but winced in pain as her captor jerked her suddenly.

“From what Anya has said,” the Commander addressed Bellamy.  “You and this Healer are the leaders of your group.  We will talk.  Your friends can stay outside.”  She turned and walked toward a building.

“I’ll only talk if you get this fucking knife away from my throat,” Clarke growled at the Commander’s back.

“Can you assure me that neither you nor your people will attack?” she asked, non-pulsed.

“Yes,” Clarke replied, turning to look at each of the group.

The Commander nodded and the knife dropped. Clarke simply glared at the woman.

 _Let’s see where this goes,_ Clarke sighed at him.  _Tell the others to hold wherever they are; you’ll let them know if the plan changes._

 _Do you really think this is a good idea?_ He returned.

 _I don’t think we have another option at the moment,_ was all she said.

Bellamy lowered his knife from his captive and pushed him away before walking up to meet Clarke.  She looked like she was about to pass out.  He reached out to lend support, but she shrugged him off.  _I can’t afford to look weak._

_You were fucking stabbed. Of course you’re weak._

_If I’m about to pass out, you have my permission to do something about it.  Not before._

He growled his frustration, but walked next to her into the building. 

The Commander sat on an ornate throne, twiddling a knife.  “So, Clarke and Bellamy of the Sky People.  Why did you come here?”

“Well, you kidnapped her and the rest of us were a little pissed about the fact,” Bellamy practically snarled.

He could see Clarke repressing a smile out of the corner of her eye.  “I think she meant ‘here’ in a broader sense. As in why did we come down.”

The Commander nodded magnanimously.

“Didn’t have much choice in that either,” Bellamy shrugged.  “The Ark, i.e. the rest of our people, decided to make the big move to the ground.  We were sent ahead.”

“And when are they coming?”

“We’re not answering any more of your questions until you answer some of ours.  Starting with why they hell you dragged me here,” Clarke kept her voice calm, stern, and a bit pissed, but he could feel her mentally reminding herself to stand up straight and maintain a sense of strength.

The woman retained a look of indifference.  “I needed intel to determine what to do with you.”

 _Yeah,_ Bellamy thought to himself, _I really appreciate the kidnapping and torture of my co-leader in order to do so_.  He was about to voice the thought when Clarke spoke.

“Next time send an invitation,” she retorted coldly, clearly on the same page as him.

Bellamy sensed a rather wry amusement coming from the dark-haired woman.  “Would you have come if I had?”

Clarke considered it.  “No,” she answered honestly.  “I would have thought it a trap.”  _Still probably is_ , she added in her head.  _Can you get a read on her?_ She directed the thought to him.

_Yes and no.  She’s not actively thinking about our deaths; she hasn’t really made any decisions about us yet._

_So, we’ve got time to convince her to not try to kill us?_

_“Try” being the operative word.  But from what I’ve gathered, yes.  If we play our cards right.  We have to show her we have something to offer that would be to her benefit._

_We should make her work for it though.  She won’t respect us if we just hand it over._

_Agreed._

The best thing about mental conversations?  They don’t take as much time as the exchange would if they had been voicing it, just a rapid fire of connecting thoughts.

The dry amusement of the Commander doubled.  “You two are having a conversation, aren’t you?  I knew he could listen to thoughts, but project them too.  How useful…”

“How did you know what Abilities we have?” Clarke asked.

She simpered.  “That is the Gift I was born with, to know what other Gifted are capable of.  And also a little more.”

“Care to elaborate on that?” Bellamy asked sardonically.  This woman was hard to get a read on, even with his Ability; her thoughts were as strategic as the words she spoke.

“Not at the moment,” was all she replied. 

“Who actually are you?” Bellamy asked.  The Commander, sure.  But of whom?

“I am Lexa, the Commander of the twelve clans,” she answered simply.

“What do you want with us?  You said intel, but didn’t specify for what,” Clarke pointed out. 

“I am determining if you are worth my time to come to an accordance with.  Or if it would be easier to just kill you all now or leave you to the Mountain,” she gave no pause or flinch at the thought of killing them in cold blood.

Clarke clenched her jaw, powering through the pain.

 _You’re going to pass out_ , he warned her.

 _Shut up_ , she gritted back.

“You’re sitting.  Where are our chairs?” Bellamy asked Lexa.  “It’s a bit hard to ‘come to an accordance’ if you’re lording over us in your throne like you are.”

Lexa chuckled.  “But it shows you who actually has the power in this relationship.  But seeing as though your fellow leader is looking a little pale, I will make an exception.”  She called for two more seats to be brought in.  Their chairs were still slightly lower than the Commander’s, but they were technically in her village, so Bellamy let it slide.  Clarke tried to sit down calmly, but in reality sunk into the chair, relishing in the lessened strain on her body; it made Bellamy breathe a little easier to see her not on the brink of collapse.

“So,” Clarke broke the silence following the exit of the people who had brought the seats.  “You said you wanted to talk, to make an accordance, let’s begin.  What do your people have to offer us?”

 _Bold.  I like it._   Lexa thought, sending a sly wink a Bellamy.  He bristled.  Aloud, she said, “And who says it is not _you_ who should be arguing for what you have to offer _us_?”

“We have thousands more people coming in the near future, likely days.”

“And how do you intend to survive?  Anya’s scouts have reported you eight have nothing in excess; it will only worsen when there are more of you.”

“They are coming with resources that will make it easier to survive, technology, more weapons,” Clarke’s cool demeanor she likely learned from interacting with the Council her whole childhood was coming in handy.

“And how many are Gifted?” Lexa asked.

Clarke and Bellamy shared a subtle look.  _Do we overestimate? Under? Give her our best guess?  I don’t know if it would be good or bad to have a lot of “Gifted.” Gods know what_ our _people think of those with Abilities._ Clarke thought at him.

_The grounders respect people with Abilities. I don’t think lying would go over very well, and it’s not like she won’t find out when the Ark arrives._

Clarke nodded.  “Perhaps a quarter of our generation.  Fewer in the previous generation.  More amongst the children,” she told the Commander.

“And are they all as strong as your group?”

“Our Abilities vary greatly; it’s difficult to compare.”

Lexa hummed thoughtfully.  “What were you doing in The Mountain?”

Not prepared for the abrupt change in topic, Clarke blanched a little.  Bellamy stepped in smoothly.  “Stealing their weapons,” he shrugged nonchalantly, hoping it would show how small a threat they considered the Mountain Men, a group who he knew the grounders saw as a large threat.  This could very well be their in.

“They will retaliate,” Lexa replied.

“And we will be ready with the weapons we got from them,” Bellamy didn’t miss a beat.

She nodded.  And he gleamed thoughts about not only the threat of the Mountain, but also discord with one of the twelve clans she had mentioned earlier.  “Here is what I propose,” she paced her words.  “You and your Gifted warriors, when they come down, will aid us if any conflicts arise.  And we will do the same.  We will help you survive the coming months, if some of your people agree to travel to villages and use their Gifts to aid in _our_ protection and vitality.”

 _This seems too easy,_ Clarke pondered. _We help them, they help us.  It’s so...There has to be a catch._

_She was completely shocked by our number of Gifted.  They only have one or two people per village.  Maybe five percent of their population, maybe not even that._

_So you think it’s worth it?  It’s a good deal?_

_If I don’t have to keep watching my back for people dropping out of trees.  And I don’t have to worry about Octavia,_ He thought back to her, before a part of his brain added _about you._ Clarke blushed slightly.  Apparently projecting his thoughts did not allow him to keep part of them to himself, he huffed. 

Clarke barked a laugh, quickly smothering it as Lexa gave a questioning look.

 _Is this what you feel like?_  He bemoaned to her.

 _A little bit,_ she answered.  _So, yes?_

_Unless you can see a reason not to take the deal, I think you’ve got your peace, Princess._

When the two of them looked back to the Commander, Lexa quirked up the corner of her lips.  “Did you two come to an agreement?”  They nodded, but before either could talk, Lexa added, “Anya warned that you cannot hold the people coming to the word you agree upon now.  I suggest you change that.”

“We will,” Clarke assured her.  “And we agree to this accordance.  You will help us in times of conflict and in terms of survival; and we will do the same for you.”

“It is settled.”

As Clarke and Bellamy stood, Clarke inhaled sharply against the pain.  She grimaced as they turned to leave, but refused the lean on Bellamy when he subtly offered her his shoulder.

“Oh, and Clarke?” Lexa asked, rising from her seat and coming to stand in front of them after they turned back.

Lexa brought her hand to cup Clarke’s cheek and gently pulled her into a kiss. Bellamy balked, and took a step back when Lexa deepened the kiss for a moment before she pulled back.  “A show of good faith,” she murmured before striding out of the building ahead of them.

Clarke gave Bellamy a dumbfounded look as they walked through the door.  Their friends immediately rushed to them, including Octavia and Miller who had apparently come out of hiding.  Lexa was talking to her people a few feet away and did not pay them any mind.

“So?  What happened?” Jasper demanded, now back to his normal self.

“She Healed me,” Clarke murmured in awe, still looking at Bellamy.

“That’s the other part of her Ability that she alluded to earlier.  I picked up on it right before she used it.  If she’s touching a person with Abilities, she can temporarily share their Ability.”  _But why the actual fuck did she have to kiss Clarke to do it?!  Wait_ , he reminded himself, _Clarke was her own person, not attached to him or anyone else; he had no right to be jealous.  What? No.  He wasn’t jealous.  Jealousy would imply that he…Nope.  Not going there._

“Huh,” was all Clarke said.

“Okay, but what did you guys talk about?” Octavia demanded.

“Let’s pick up Monty and Raven and we’ll tell you on the way back to camp.”

“So we get to go back to camp?  And they aren’t going to try to kill us anymore?” Miller asked.

Bellamy nodded.  And they started out the gate.  Not long after, Raven and Monty met up with them, and began asking all the same questions.

They trekked home, Clarke and Bellamy alternating in relaying the conversation with the Commander.  They just reached the top of a hill when a bright light in the sky caught their eye.  Soon several more appeared.

“What the…” Octavia started.

“It’s the Ark!  They’re coming down!” Raven exclaimed excitedly.  “It worked!  My idea worked!”  Her excitement immediately dissipated as some of the shining lights started to descend too quickly.  They watched in horror as the Ark fell to earth in pieces; some crashed and burned, others just shook the ground.

“Do you think anyone…?” Clarke whispered, unable to finish the thought aloud.

“I don’t know,” Bellamy answered honestly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My beta gently suggested that I remind people that this is NOT a Clexa story. Bellarke is endgame (BELLARKE!). She was pissed at me for that kiss, which I'm sure you all are too. Trust me, I feel ya. I'm mad at Lexa, too. Feel free to comment with your outrage ;)
> 
> Also, here's a question I propose to you? Was Clarke's "Huh" a reaction to what Bellamy said out loud? Or did he accidentally project his thoughts to her? The world may never know...


	10. Mission Complete?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Then Octavia’s voice came through the walkie, slightly exasperated. “Can anyone hear me?”  
> “Yeah, we hear you now,” Raven replied.  
> “We think we see the Exodus ship up ahead. It looks pretty much intact.”  
> Clarke breathed a sigh of relief, only afterwards realizing it was because that would be the ship her mom was on. She had thought she was past caring about Abby Griffin, but it seemed family was something you cared about no matter how fucked up it was.  
> “Thank the gods,” Raven sighed before taking a deep breath. “We found a modified short range. No survivors.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Terribly sorry this took over a week longer to post than has been my goal; first it was being sick and not having the mental energy, then it was friends in town and a holiday, then it became simple lack of motivation to write (I should probably convince someone to continually nag me about writing) (Update: TheAmazonian, aka my most awesome of betas, said she’ll get better at the task). It’s pretty much a filler chapter because I wanted to do a bit more of relationship development and Ark interaction (which will apparently be coming in the next chapter because this one got away from me a bit).

They stood on the top of the hill for a long time, just watching as their childhood home and all the people in it crashed to Earth.  “We need to check for survivors,” Clarke broke the silence that had descended on them.

“Tomorrow,” Bellamy said.  “It’s already almost full dark.  We’ve had a long day, some of us longer than others,” he gave Clarke a hard look.  “And it’ll be difficult enough getting to the dropship, let alone navigating over to one of those wrecks.”

“But…,” she started, at war with herself for being worried about her mom, but still unable to fully forgive her for what she did to her and her dad.

“I know,” he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, startling her. “We’ve all got people out there.  Well, most of us.”

“First light,” Miller grunted.  “My dad’s somewhere out there, and he’ll be pissed at me for making him worry.”

“Making _him_ worry?” Monty asked.  “You’re the one whose already safe on the ground.”

“Yeah, well you haven’t met my dad.  But you will.  He’ll like you,” he smiled at the other man, before jerking his head to look at the rest of the group.  “All of you.  Well, maybe not you, Murphy.  And I don’t know how big of a fan he is of the Blakes; he was part of the guard.”

Clarke laughed a little.  “First light,” she agreed.  And they slowly made their way back to the dropship.

 

...

 

Everyone was up before first light, unable to sleep with thoughts about the Ark running through their heads.  Some were anxious about their families, others about friends, but the thought that kept Clarke awake was the tentative peace with the grounders and if she’d actually be able to make the Ark keep the word she had given Lexa.

“You need to stop worrying, Princess,” Bellamy said, coming to kneel next to her to arrange his pack.  “It’s radiating off of you in waves.”

“Like everyone else is the model of a peaceful mind,” she scoffed.

“True,” he gave.  “So, I’m thinking split into two groups.  One group head north, the other south?”

“Sounds good to me.  Groups?”

“Me, O, Jasper, and Monty.  You, Raven, Miller, and Murphy.  Split up our fighters and navigators.”

Clarke nodded, “I’ll take north.  Terrain is a little more dangerous, so I can Heal anyone if things get dicey for us or those who just came down.”

“Don’t wear yourself out,” he warned; she simply rolled her eyes.  “Meet back here by nightfall or at the very least within walkie range.”

“Worried about our little family?” she teased.

“Damn right,” he replied seriously.  “We don’t know how effective Lexa’s word is, or if everyone’s got the memo.  Then there’s the Mountain to worry about too.  As fun as it was to track you halfway across the forest and fight a grounder village, I don’t really want to do that two days in a row.”

Clarke looked to her pack, chastised.  “Let’s round up the troops,” she said instead. 

Before long the groups had parted ways and were headed in their separate directions.

After perhaps an hour of hiking, Clarke’s nose detected the acrid smell of burnt flesh, accented by burnt trees, burnt fabric, burnt metal, everything burnt.  She tried to suppress a gag and continue onward.  They topped the small lip of compressed earth and saw the remains of a small ship, one of the modified short range vessels.

She glanced at her group, even Murphy looked distraught.  She turned to move on, but Raven called out.  “Shouldn’t we just check.  See if anyone—” she cut off and corrected herself, “anything is salvageable.”

Clarke shook her head sadly.  “There’s nothing.  And anytime we waste here could possibly be helping someone else who survived.”

Raven nodded reluctantly and followed Clarke.  “The modification.  It was my idea,” she whispered quietly.  Clarke glanced back saw Murphy surreptitiously squeeze Raven’s hand as he walked past her.

They carried on, now headed for the rockier terrain that surrounded the river.  The walkie crackled with a broken voice.  Raven pulled it out of her pack.  “Tried to push the range a little further last night when I couldn’t sleep,” she explained.  “Maybe a few more tweaks…” She pulled off the casing and a few wires shifted.

Then Octavia’s voice came through, slightly exasperated.  “Can anyone hear me?”

“Yeah, we hear you now,” Raven replied.

“We think we see the Exodus ship up ahead.  It looks pretty much intact.”

Clarke breathed a sigh of relief, only afterwards realizing it was because that would be the ship her mom was on.  She had thought she was past caring about Abby Griffin, but it seemed family was something you cared about no matter how fucked up it was.

“Thank the gods,” Raven sighed before taking a deep breath.  “We found a modified short range.  No survivors.”

There was a long pause before the line crackled again.  “Alright,” Octavia came through sounding somewhat dejected.  “Keep looking.  We notify each other if something else comes up?”

“Yup,” Raven agreed.

“Tell them, ‘Good luck with the Council,’” Murphy chuckled with glee.

Raven rolled her eyes.  “And Murphy says, ‘Good luck with the Council.’”

“Fuck,” was Octavia’s immediate response.  “Hadn’t thought of that.  We’ll definitely need that luck.  Especially when Bell tells them about the deal with the grounders.”  There was a short pause.  “He says he’s waiting for Clarke to tell them.”

Clarke snatched the walkie out of Raven’s hand.  “Uh-uh.  He’s there, he can tell them.”

Seconds later Bellamy’s voice came back.  “No way, Princess.  You’re one of them, you can tell the Council.”

“We’re back to that?  You’ve got to be fucking—”

Raven grabbed the device back.  “You two can fight later,” she said into it while giving Clarke a significant glare.  “Right now, we have other stuff to worry about.”  Clarke bit her tongue, knowing Raven was right.  Raven continued, “Make sure everyone there is holding up, we’ll keep looking out here; let you know if we find anything.”

Twenty minutes later they were back on the walkies, hoping it would still cover the distance.  “We think we see Farm Station at the bottom of the small ravine just east of the short waterfall.  We’re going to repel down and check it out.”

Only a burst of static came back. 

“I don’t know if that means they heard or not,” Raven muttered.  “Do you read me?” she asked into the walkie.

“Yeah,” Octavia’s tired voice came back.  “We’re coming to help.  Bringing some other people to help too.” She sounded forced chipper for the last of her statement.

“Great,” Murphy moaned.  “Less than a day on the ground and the Council is already taking over.”

Miller nodded his agreement.  “Well, let’s get down there and try to do what we can for now. It’ll be some time before they get here anyway.”

Clarke groaned internally, but more help would probably be a good thing.  “Rae, maybe tell them to walk up the length of the ravine, it’d probably be easier with them coming from the south.” 

Raven nodded and got back on the walkie while Miller and Murphy went in search of a sturdy anchor for the rope. 

They took their time getting everything situated and Clarke insisted on being the first one over the ledge, pulling the Healer card.  She eased herself over and was partway down the cliff face when she heard a sickening snap.  Her head rocketed up, catching sight of the rope fraying where it was pulled tight over a sharp rock.  She shifted her weight, trying to pull the rope off the rock and succeeded only in making another section of it snap.  “Fuck,” she yelled, scrambling for a better purchase on the rocks, only vaguely aware of the voices on top of the ledge.  There was no way the rope would hold her weight anymore.  She silently cursed Bellamy for not including grip strength in her training as she already felt her fingers straining on the rocky surface.

“Hang on a minute, Clarke,” Miller called to her.  “I think I have an idea.”

“Faster would be better!” she gritted out, switching her hold on the rocks slightly. 

 _Your mom is a real piece of work_ , Bellamy’s voice came into her mind and almost startling her out of her precarious position.

 _Would everyone just shut the fuck up, so maybe I don’t fall to my death!_ She yelled her frustration internally.

 _Princess, what the fuck did you do?_ His panicked reply came, though she could tell he had already gleamed her situation from her mind. _We’re picking up the pace.  We’ll be there as soon as we can._

She suppressed a wry laugh, knowing he was probably still almost an hour hike away. _Unless you’re getting here in the next minute or so and could somehow break my fifty-foot fall, you’re going to be pretty useless._ She thought back at Bellamy.

She heard scrambling above her and felt a slight shower of rocks sprinkle over her head.  She looked up to see Miller easing himself down.

 “Are you crazy!  Where’s your rope?” she yelled at him.

“Phasing, rock climber style,” she could hear the pride in his voice.  “Only phase a small way into the rock and use it as foot and hand holds.”

“Uh-huh, sure,” she really didn’t care so much how he was doing it, as long as it was safe and he could make sure she didn’t fall to her death in the next minute.

“It’s kind of like how I phase through a wall, but not the floor.  I just pretend there’s some floor to hold my weight just under each foot and hand.”

“Good thinking, Miller,” she told him absently, trying not to fixate on the sweat that was threatening to make her hands slip.

“What the fuck, Blake!” Raven’s started yell came from the top of the cliff.  Clarke ignored her in favor of glancing at Miller’s progress; Bellamy could go bother someone else for a bit.  She concentrated on taking deep, controlled breaths.

“Alright, Clarke, I’m going to need you to grab onto me,” Miller’s voice broke her concentrated thoughts.

She looked to her right to see him next to her.  She smiled weakly.  “Piggy back or monkey style?”

“Whatever,” Miller shrugged in a surprisingly soothing tone.  “We’re going to keep going down; it’ll be easier for me.  Raven and Murphy are going the long way around; they’ll meet up with us in a half hour or so.”

“Okay,” Clarke agreed, nervously prying her hand off its hold and reaching for Miller.

Fifteen minutes later when they reached the bottom, Clarke collapsed on her back.  Miller right beside her.  She lolled her head to look at him.  “As much fun as it was to figure out a different use of your Ability; I’m not going rock climbing again with you any time soon.  Possibly ever.”

Miller chuckled beside her.  “Yeah, wasn’t exactly a cake walk for me either.  I vote we just wait here for the other two; I’d really like some time to regain the feeling in my arms and legs.”

“I’m not that heavy!” Clarke scoffed.

“No, but that was literally climbing a sheer rock face for twenty minutes, puts a little strain on the muscles even without the extra person clinging to me,” he retorted, but didn’t look mad.

“Agreed.  My heart is still thumping from my life flashing before my eyes.”

“Drama Queens, both of you,” Murphy’s droll voice drifted over. 

Clarke lifted her head to spy him and Raven making their way over.  “That was quick,” she replied.

A shit-eating-grin sprawled across Murphy’s face.  “There was a sort of path carved into the rock about a five-minute walk down from where we were.  Still a little precarious, but not quite life-threatening.”

Clarke let her head fall back against the ground and groaned.  “Are you sure you don’t have Luck Abilities, too?”

Murphy just cackled.  “If only.”

She and Miller got up from where they were laying and the group of four made their way toward the fallen Ark station.  As they approached they heard a number of people talking, calling to one another.  _Thank the gods, survivors_ , Clarke thought to herself.  She didn’t know if she could handle such a large section of the Ark being in the same state as the shuttle they had come across earlier.

“Hey, are those…” one of the people asked another as the group of four approached.

“Survivors from another Station?” the man he was talking to finished.

A third man spoke up.  “No, I think they’re part of the group that were sent down before.”

“Hey, we’re famous,” Murphy whispered to the group snidely.

The second man scoffed.  “Criminal mutants,” he muttered.

“Yup,” Raven flashed them a brilliant smile.  “That’s us.  A bunch of criminal mutants you sent down with the slimmest hope the ground was survivable.  Well, it is.  You’re welcome for being your test guinea pigs.”

Clarke tried and failed to hide her smile as the people dispersed and returned to whatever they were doing.  Their small band all shared a smile with each other, Raven looked triumphant.  “Okay,” Clarke brought them back to their task at hand.  “I’m going to see if they have a med bay or something like that set up.  Miller, why don’t you go into the wreckage and see if there’s anyone trapped.  Murphy, go see if they have a fire going for food, warmth, boiling water for clean bandages; you know the drill.  Raven, see if you can form a group to gather up and organize supplies, food, and whatever else; maybe a group to see what you can forage around here. I’m sure everyone’s getting hungry.”

The group started to disperse.  Murphy stopped after taking two steps.  “Why did I listen to her so quickly?” he quietly asked himself.

“Because your whipped,” Raven teased. 

Clarke barked a laugh.  “Because you know it’s a good idea.  And you get to use your Abilities and play with fire,” she added.

Murphy took off in his original direction, still grumbling to himself, but making no other protests.  Clarke headed toward a group of girls around her age, maybe a little younger, who were milling about.  “Where’s your med area?” she asked.  They pointed vaguely in a direction to the left of the wreckage.  She was about to head in that direction when she noticed the telltale bracelets around their wrists.  “What are your Abilities?” she asked with her head cocked curiously.

“I can echolocate.  Harper’s a speedster. And Fox, well if the nickname didn’t give it away, she can turn into a fox.”

“Wasn’t much use on the Ark,” said the small girl who Clarke assumed was Fox. “Didn’t like how the cold metal felt, though it was nice for hide-and-seek as a kid, could get into all the small spaces.”

Clarke smiled at them.  “Ready to put your Abilities to use?” Clarke smiled at them gleefully.

“But,” the girl she assumed was Harper raised her wrist.

Clarke nodded.  “And boy does it feel good to get off,” her smile taking up her whole face.  Their jaws dropped.  “Yup.  First thing we did when we got to the ground.  Also, between you and me there is pretty much a hundred percent chance the grounders are watching and they’ll be expecting more people with Abilities.”

“Grounders?” Fox asked.

“Gods, the Council didn’t tell you anything,” Clarke shook her head and gave them a short run-down.  “We’re not alone down here.  Others survived on the ground for the past century and they’re currently just barely on this side of friendly.  So we’d like to keep it that way.  Part of which involves subtly showing off our Abilities.”  The girls looked gobsmacked.  “Anyway, you,” she gestured to the first girl who spoke.  “Sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”

“Monroe.”

“Okay, Monroe, you see that man walking toward the wreck.  Go catch up with him, his name is Miller, introduce yourself and he’ll get off your bracelet and then you’ll help him search the Station.” Monroe nodded.  “Harper and Fox?  You see that woman with the long brown ponytail.  That’s Raven. You’re going to help her out.”  They nodded as well and took off quickly after the others Clarke had pointed to.

Clarke herself turned back toward where the shaded area at the edge of the treeline they had pointed out, smile shining.  Her newfound goal was to get as many Abled as possible de-braceleted and using their Abilities.  Not only was it basically the thing they all wanted their entire lives, but those extra capabilities would help save their asses on this Earth.

Clarke got to work as soon as she entered their makeshift med bay.  There was no organization, just people moaning, groaning, and rushing about trying to do something.  She started barking orders to get the area into some semblance of function and began doling out jobs and making a priority list.

Shortly after everything was running more or less smoothly, Murphy came over, with a stack of clean strips of cloth.  “Why am I not surprised to see you taking charge so easily,” he chuckled. 

Clarke shook her head at him.  “Someone had to do it.”

“And of course it had to be you,” he ribbed. “So, an Abled came up to me.  Told me you said to take off his bracelet so he could help with the wreck.  Didn’t argue with him obviously, but the Council is going to be pissed.” Clarke smiled brightly.  Word must have spread from the three girls she had told to get their bracelets off and help.

“I know,” Clarke shrugged.  “But if the Council wants to struggle and die down here, that’s their prerogative.  Mine is to get as many people to survive as possible and to survive happy and whole; Abled can’t do that with the bracelet and it’s a hell of a lot more helpful if they can do _all_ that they’re capable of.”

Murphy laughed dryly, yet whole-heartedly.  “I can’t wait until you, Bellamy, and the Council have a talk.  Part of me wants to be there, but for my own survival, I think it’s best I not.”

“Shut up, Murphy,” Clarke rolled her eyes.  “Get back to your fire.  I’ve got work to do.”

Murphy sauntered back the way he came still chuckling to himself.  That boy was a heap of trouble and then some.  Clarke was just glad he was on her side.

Clarke returned to her work, Healing those who needed it and sending those with minor injuries to the non-Abled people helping in the makeshift med bay.  But before she could get back into her routine of caring for the injured, she was interrupted.  “Couldn’t be bothered to tell me you didn’t fall to your death?” Bellamy’s dry voice asked.

Clarke glanced up and winced slightly.  “Other priorities?” she offered.  “I mean, you could tell I wasn’t dead, right?  My thought pattern was still _screaming_ at you per usual?”

He shrugged.  “Okay, yeah.  But I was still worried.”

“Awe, you were worried about me,” she sang.  “Hold him steady?” she gestured to the teen in front of her.  Clarke caught the teen’s eye.  “Dislocated shoulder.  I’m going to pop it back in place.  It’s going to hurt like hell for a minute, and then you’ll feel a lot better than you’re feeling now.”  Bellamy stepped forward and braced the boy whose wide eyes were glued to Clarke.  She smiled, trying to ease his worry.  “Ready?” he nodded slowly.  She wrenched the shoulder back where it should be and sent him off to find a sling.

Bellamy leaned on the tree next to her.  “So the Council is controlling and insane as usual.  Sinclair, Raven’s engineering person, was taken into custody, along with two Abled, because he took off their bracelets to make sure the Exodus ship didn’t crash land.  They saved all their asses, but still ended up in handcuffs.”

Clarke rolled her eyes and shook her head. 

“And what’s more.  They fucking brought down more bracelets.  Seriously.  They wasted space which could have been used for rations, supplies, or guns, or something _useful_ , for more fucking bracelets.”

Clarke couldn’t help but laugh.  “They’re going to be real pissed when they find out I already helped three more Abled take off their bracelets so they could help out with this wreck.  And at least one other heard through the grapevine and got his off too.”

Bellamy joined her laughter.  “I think your time with the rest of us on the ground has turned you into a bit of a rebel.”

“Well, I was arrested for treason, figured why stop once I’m on the ground?”

“Clarke!” she heard her mother’s voice call happily, clearly not having heard the conversation.

“You couldn’t have warned me,” Clarke muttered to Bellamy, who simply shrugged.

“Thought you put two and two together,” he replied.

“Hi, Mom,” Clarke greeted stiffly, only giving a small, awkward pat on the back in return to the suffocating embrace her mother had enclosed her in.  She caught a glimpse of Bellamy smirking off to the side.

“Oh, sweetie.  I’m so glad you’re okay.  I was so worried about you being down here.  And you wouldn’t talk to me.  And the rest were talking about ‘grounders’ and other dangers and—”

“Yup.  Here I am.  Safe and sound,” Clarke drolled. 

“I know.  I’m so glad.”  Abby pulled her in for another hug.

Clarke relented slightly.  Even though she was far from her mom’s biggest fan, Abby was still her mom.  “I’m glad you’re safe, too, Mom,” she said honestly, though a tinge of annoyance still slipped through.

“Clarke!” Miller interrupted.  “Got more injured.  This one got speared with some debris or bracing.  I know you said be careful about moving certain injures, but the section was about to collapse.  I managed to phase him back with me and got him here as fast as I could. He was unconscious when I found him.”

“No, no, it’s fine.  You didn’t have an option not to move him.  Wait! You phased him with you?” Miller nodded with a small smile.  “Awesome!” she congratulated his new aspect of his Ability.  She looked guiltily to the boy who had been placed on the mat before her.  “Sorry.  Not the time to celebrate.”

She was about to dive into her Healing river when her mom disrupted her process.  “Honey, you need to save your energy.  There are people back at the Exodus ship that need your Healing.”

“Sure, Mom,” Clarke lashed out, not happy with having been stopped.  “Because the Council deserves Healing for a few scratches when there’s a _person_ in front of me with a severe gut wound.”

“That’s not what I’m saying,” Abby sighed.  “There are other non-Abled medics to take care of these people.”

“I repeat, _severe gut wound_.  As in _life threatening_.” Clarke turned back to the floppy-haired boy in front of her.  He looked to be close to her age.

“I know, but—”

“Clarke has learned a lot about what she can and can’t handle and what does or does not need her Healing down here.  You should let her determine where she puts her Abilities to use,” Bellamy stepped in.

“Blake,” Abby snapped, dislike strongly evident in her voice.  “I don’t remember you being part of this conversation.”

“No,” he returned unperturbed.  “But I like to think I’ve gotten to know your daughter and exactly what she’s capable of while we’ve been down here.”

Clarke shot him a quick grateful smile.  She turned a harder gaze on her mother.  “Why don’t you go help with the other injured, Mom.  They could really use your expertise.”

Abby’s lips tightened, but she nodded and moved toward the group of people who had followed Miller.  With another quick glance at Bellamy, Clarke dove into her Healing river and stitched the man in front of her back together. 

After she finished, she noticed Bellamy had left to go help elsewhere.  She sat back on her heels to breathe deeply for a few moments.  Her patient would live; he’d probably sleep until tomorrow and be good as new in the next day or two after.

Her day continued in that pattern.  She used her Ability more and more sparingly as she noticed her energy slowly draining.  After full dark, she wandered out of med bay.  It had been decided that everyone would stay near Farm for the night and then tomorrow head back toward the Exodus ship where the Chancellor and the rest of the Council would come to a decision on how to proceed, look for other survivors, and find a place to settle.

She found her friends slightly secluded from the rest of the people, around their own small fire.  Plopping down in the spot clearly left for her, Clarke heaved a sigh.  “Is everyone as exhausted as I am?”

“Probably not, Princess,” Bellamy chuckled from next to her.  “Not all of us continually used our Abilities for half the day.”

“Speak for yourself,” Miller grunted from across the circle.  “I could sleep for twelve hours straight.”

“Again,” Monty said, teasing lacing his tone, “Not all of us used our Abilities for half the day.”

“Here, eat,” Bellamy handed Clarke some sort of meat on a stick.

“Thanks,” she smiled, her mouth watering at the idea of the tough, gamey meat; she _may_ have forgotten to eat anything while in med bay.

“Did you all hear about Sinclair?” Raven harrumphed angrily.  “He fucking saved their asses and they arrest him!”

“Bellamy told me,” Clarke spoke around a bite of her dinner.

“It’s so fucking idiotic!  And the bracelets?  Don’t even get me started,” Octavia added.

Clarke finished her meal and didn’t even remember falling asleep to their rantings against the absurdity of the Council.  But the next thing she was aware of was a hand running smoothly down her back and a deep voice calling her name.  “Clarke. Clarke, you need to wake up.”

She snuggled deeper into the warmth of her pillow.  “No, I’m comfy,” she pouted sleepily.

A deep chuckle reverberated through said pillow.  Then her mind registered the voice as Bellamy’s when he spoke again.  “As comfortable as I’m sure I am, I volunteered for the next watch, so let’s find you a different place to sleep.  I know you need it.”

Clarke sat up straight as if she’d been electrocuted.  “Sorry.  I didn’t mean to…” she stumbled over her apologies.  She couldn’t believe she had fucking fell asleep on Bellamy and then she snuggled into him like…nope; avoiding that train of thought.

“It’s okay, Princess.  No harm, no foul,” he smiled at her standing up.  “Just get some sleep.  I’m sure tomorrow is going to be just as busy.”

She nodded and then lay back down, on the ground this time, curling her arm under her head for a pillow.  Just before she closed her eyes, she spotted Raven and Octavia whispering suspiciously to each other.  They giggled quietly.  Clarke tried to glare at them, but sleep took her too soon to know if she succeeded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Non-story-related sidenote: Finally broke down and got a [Tumblr](https://dracoterrae9099.tumblr.com/). Literally just got a couple days ago, so I really don't know what I'm doing (technologically challenged over here; please don't judge me). But feel free to come chat at me about Bellarke or my stories or basically anything.


	11. Just Any Other Day with the Council

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'Princess, what’s up?' Bellamy projected, trying to keep it light, but he knew worry was running through the core of the thought.  
> 'Just the Council being the Council,' Clarke's thought came back mirroring his own light, but worried tone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had so many mini crises while writing this chapter: not knowing what POV to use, not liking my decision on switching the POV, changing details of the plot that can affect later parts of the story. I don’t know why it was so difficult. It’s basically another filler chapter, but I think I bugged my beta on at least three occasions while writing, and at least once while she was in the process of beta-ing the completed chapter, to help me work through whatever was going through my brain. So, thank you TheAmazonian for putting up with me. I hope y'all like the end result =) As my beta happily pointed out: all the ships get a little attention in this chapter.

Bellamy woke up with the sun, per usual; living on the ground, the sun became his wake-up call.  A couple months ago, if he was asked to name all the people whose well-being he cared about, he would have given one name, Octavia.  Now, he looked around his small group that had come to the ground with him, there were six other names on that list.  His eyes found the familiar head of blonde and he immediately had to work to banish the small smile that was arising at the memory of how she had fallen asleep on him the night before; and even more so on the way she had burrowed into him when he had tried to wake her.

He got up, trying not to wake anyone, and headed toward the treeline where he remembered spotting some berries yesterday.  If he learned one thing while down here it was not to pass on good food when it was right in front of him.  He picked what was ripe, putting it in a small pouch he liked to keep in his pack for times such as this.

“Hi, O,” he smiled a couple minutes later.

Octavia appeared, melting out of the trees.  She sighed heavily.  “I was hoping Clarke’s river technique thing would finally let me sneak up on you.  Fucking telepaths.”

“Because walking around completely unaware of how close people are to me in potentially hostile woods sounds like a safe idea,” he said dryly.

Octavia let out a loud laugh.  It was good to see her laugh so openly; the ground was doing good things for her.  “Bell, you do realize _that_ is exactly how everyone else walks around.  Not everyone can hear other people’s thoughts sneaking up on them.”

He frowned, the thought never really having occurred to him before.  He shrugged it off.  “Ready to get back to the Exodus ship?” he asked with false enthusiasm.

“Yeah, because the Council has always been welcoming to all of us.”  She paused.  “Do we have to live with them?  Can’t we just make a separate place?  Maybe go live with the grounders who actually respect people with Abilities?”

He didn’t like the idea of being separated from his sister any more than he liked the idea of living in a grounder village.  But before he could respond or decide which was the lesser of the two evils, he sensed another presence coming closer:  Raven. 

“Hey losers, they’re starting to serve breakfast back at the wreck.  Figured I’d come get you two before it was all gone.”

Bellamy nodded and began following her toward the gathering of people.  “I just wanted to pick some berries for Clarke since I was going to make sure she slept until we had to go.  Miller too.”

“I like how Miller is an afterthought on that,” Octavia teased.

Bellamy shoved her playfully, but didn’t acknowledge the comment further.

Murphy joined the group seamlessly.  “If you’re so worried about them being tired from using their Abilities, why don’t you just let them sleep it off.  They can hike over together later.”

“Why don’t we just leave _you_ behind?” Octavia asked.

“Because you’d miss my excellent conversational skills,” he returned, not missing a beat.

Raven rolled her eyes.  “Yeah, but isn’t the saying, ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder?’ I could do with the ‘absence’ part for a while.”

“So, you want to become fonder of me?” Murphy smirked at her.  “I knew I found a way into your heart, Reyes.”

She gave him a deadpan look and fell into line with Jasper and Monty.  When they got to the front, Jasper held up the rations packet with a disgusted frown.  “I had forgotten they don’t know what real food the ground has to offer yet.  Do we have any of that meat left over from dinner?”

“We were expecting to be back at the dropship last night, so no,” Bellamy returned, but eyed the silver packet in his hand with equal disgust.

“What about those berries you were picking earlier?” Jasper asked.

Octavia broke out into a gleeful smile.  “They’re for Clarke,” she sing-songed.

“And Miller,” Bellamy grunted.

“Good idea,” Monty piped, ignorant of Octavia’s implication.  “Nate and Clarke should sleep as long as they can before we hike back.  And berries will definitely be better than this…shit.”

Raven laughed.  “Monty, you seem so innocent when you swear.  Like you’re reluctant to say ‘shit’ and that’s not even _that_ bad of a curse word.”

Jasper joined her laughter.  “You’ve never met Mrs. Green.  If she knew her precious baby boy just said ‘shit,’ she’d be flabbergasted.”

They laughed and joked their way through a rather unsatisfying breakfast.  Bellamy waited until the last minute before waking Clarke.  “Clarke, it’s time to wake up,” he called.  No response. “Clarke, we need to head back to the Exodus ship.”  Still nothing.  He sighed and knelt down to place a hand on her shoulder, and gently nudged her.  “Come on, Sleeping Beauty.  Wake up.” 

She turned her head away from his voice, murmuring, “Not yet,” much like she had the night before.  Only this time she was laying on the ground.  She was immediately awake and sitting while spitting out dirt.  She rubbed her hand across her mouth.

Bellamy chuckled.  “Quite the elegant princess,” he teased.

She glared. “I assume you didn’t wake me up until it was time to head to the Exodus ship,” she looked toward the horizon which the sun was fully above.

“They didn’t wake me up either,” Miller grumbled from a few feet away.  Monty was kneeling next to him, apparently having taken the same job as Bellamy.

“You’re both up now.  And you both needed the rest,” Monty told them.

Murphy spoke from a few feet away, packing his small bag.  “I suggested we leave you both here with a walkie.  You’d get the sleep they thought you needed and you’re competent enough to make it back to the ship.”

“Thanks for not taking Murphy’s suggestion,” Miller said as he reached for his own pack that had been his pillow the night before.

“I hope you’re ready for a fun-filled walk with your mom,” Raven said chipperly, walking up to the group to grab her pack from where she had left it before breakfast.  “She’s already been asking if you’re up.”

 “Great,” Clarke sighed, drawing out the word. 

Bellamy smothered a laugh at her clear lack of enthusiasm.  But as they walked over to join the small crowd of Farm Station survivors, probably near fifty in total, Bellamy sensed more was on Clarke’s mind that she had verbalized. He took a step up to walk next to her. “It’s okay to still care about her,” he said quietly.  “She’s family.”

“Family that sent the rest of my family to his death,” she returned.

“But you still care.”  He knew that feeling.  He could spot it a mile away, even if the thought was laced with reluctance to feel that emotion.

She let out a long breath.  “Yes. I still care.  I know she had her reasons.  Reasons I don’t agree with, but she believed in them. And…and she’s my mom.  I can’t just stop loving her after twenty-one years.”

 “You should go talk to her,” he encouraged.  He hadn’t always agreed with _his_ mother’s decisions, but in the end, he wished he had forgiven her aloud before she was floated, instead of blaming her for sending him and Octavia into a life of hiding and surviving by taking surreptitious deals.  He also wasn’t a huge fan of Clarke’s mother, Council Member Abigail Griffin, but he knew the importance of family.

“I should, shouldn’t I?” she responded, sounding reluctant.  She looked thoughtful.  “I’ll wait until we’re closer to the Exodus.  Then once we get there I can cite her having Council duties and make my getaway.”

Bellamy laughed.  “Whatever the hell you want.”  They dropped their pace to fall back with the rest of those with whom they came to earth.  Bellamy had the feeling they would be doing this a lot more, secluding their group from the rest of the Ark; surviving two months on hostile ground together does something to bond people.

When he estimated they were half an hour away from the Exodus ship, he caught Clarke’s eyes and nodded his head toward the front of the trail of survivors.  _I’m pretty sure your mom’s toward the front, if you wanted to go chat with her._

Clarke made a face, didn’t say anything back, but quickened her pace and left the group. 

She didn’t return even after the ship was in sight.  Guards were posted every couple yards around the perimeter of the ship guns held readily in their hands as others were already starting to build a wall. 

Octavia shrank back a little. “I hate this.  I feel like we just got out from under the thumb of the Ark, and now were willingly going back for more.”

“Preaching to the choir,” Murphy grumbled.  “I vote we just eat some of their food, grab Clarke and head back to the dropship.”

“After Nate finds his dad,” Monty added.

Miller shot the other man a small smile.  “Speaking of which, I think I just spotted him.”  He took a few steps in that direction and then stopped and looked back at the group.  “We haven’t really talked since I was arrested…” he trailed off.

“I vote Monty should go with you,” Jasper shouted eagerly, pushing his friend toward Miller.  “Monty’s a good buffer.  Everyone loves Monty.”

The man in question shot his friend what would be a withering glare had it been coming from anyone else, but joined Miller as he turned back toward his father.

“Are they?” Octavia asked.

Jasper grinned conspiratorially.  “I don’t know about Miller, but Monty definitely has a huge crush on him.”

“Bell?” Octavia turned to him.

“It’s their business, not mine,” he returned pointedly.  Though Miller definitely returned the crush.

“You’re no fun,” she pouted.  “Food?  It looks like they’ve got some weird stew thing they’re giving to all the people from Farm Station.  Let’s get in on that.”

Soon they were sitting around in a loose circle eating, still no sign of Clarke.  He thought about reaching out to her, but decided it best to let her have her time with her mom.  He took another bite of the ‘stew’; the new arrivals definitely had a thing or two to learn about the availability of food on Earth, such as sparse pieces of overcooked meat and a handful of potato chunks do not a proper stew make.  His musings on his meal were interrupted by a sudden excitement coming from Raven.

“Finn?” she breathed in disbelief as she rose to her feet.  She started toward a floppy-haired boy who looked vaguely familiar.

“Raven?” he returned, equally astonished.  “I thought you were…”

She embraced him tightly.  “Floated?  Nope.  They sent me down here with these assholes,” she said, releasing him and turning back to the group who were seated on some logs.  “Guys, this is Finn.  He was my best friend growing up.  Finn, this is Murphy, Jasper, Octavia, and Bellamy.  There are a few more of us, but they’re somewhere around here, talking with their parents and whatnot.”

The floppy-haired man nodded at the group before returning his gaze to Raven, still awed that he had found her.  Bellamy sensed a little bit of guilt about something, but didn’t delve deeper, assuming it was just the assumption that he had given her up for dead.

“Sit, eat,” Raven sat happily, returning to her spot.  Finn sat close to her, brushing against her side and touching her as if to reassure himself she was still there.

“So, you knew Raven on the Ark?” Murphy coughed abruptly.

“Yeah,” Finn responded.  “We grew up together, started dating when we were, what? Fifteen, sixteen?”

“You dated?” Murphy asked, voice a mixture of wry surprise and irritation.

Raven choked on air.  “Yeah,” Finn confirmed and ran a soothing hand on her back, oblivious to the glare Murphy was sending him.  “Almost five years now.”

Raven shook off his hand, recovering.  “Except we broke it off,” she protested.

“Sure, but we’re inevitably going to be together in the end, so it doesn’t really matter,” Finn shrugged.  He took a bite of his stew that he had briefly forgotten and immediately spit it out, cursing. “Careful, Raven!” he shouted a warning, batting at her hand with her spoon.

“Did you burn your tongue?” Murphy asked slyly, hiding a mischievous smirk in his own bowl.

Finn nodded, panting slightly.  “It’s fucking on fire!”

Raven slid her gaze over to Murphy and took a large bite.  “It’s perfectly fine to me,” she couldn’t keep the small smile from gracing her lips.  “I actually prefer a bit of fire.”

The rest tried to smother their laughter; Finn just looked lost. 

“Raven!” A small, teenaged girl came running over to their group, interrupting the moment.  “It’s all my fault! I don’t—it’s my…” Tears were streaming down her face.

“Hey, Fox, what’s the matter?  What’s up?” Raven asked, immediately switching from teasing to concern.

“It’s my fault.  I shouldn’t have said anything,” the girl babbled.  “Clarke…” Bellamy couldn’t make out the rest of what she said.  Raven turned to him looking panicked.  He immediately reached out for Clarke.  Locating her thought pattern, he was assaulted with anger, indignation, and a small but growing sense of fear.

 _Princess, what’s up?_   He tried to keep it light, but he knew worry was running through the core of the thought.

 _Just the Council being the Council_ , the thought came back mirroring his own light, but worried tone.  A pause.  _Could you just…stay out of my head for the next few minutes?  Completely block me out?_ It wasn’t her usually frustrated annoyance that accompanied the response, this time is was an almost pleading desperation.

 _Not until you tell me what’s up_ , he returned sternly.  The group around him were looking at him beseechingly.  He started to notice a murmur that was spreading through the camp, people moving closer to the ship.

Octavia stood up, the group mirroring her actions.  They moved with the rest of the people.  Raven had placed a comforting arm around the girl.  Bellamy shook his head when they looked to him to see if he had gotten the run of the situation from Clarke.

He reached out for her again, but came across a solid wall of _STAY OUT!_

“What’s going on?” Octavia prodded the person next to them.  A large crowd was gathered near the entrance of the Exodus ship by now. 

The woman turned to them eagerly.  “Apparently some girl helped some Mutants take off their bracelets yesterday,” she gossiped eagerly.  “They’re preparing to shocklash her.  Sinclair yesterday, this girl today.  When are people going to learn that Mutants can’t be trusted. Deserves it, she does.”

The group exchanged looks and began pushing their way to the front of the crowd just in time to she Clarke being led out by a group of guards.  They walked her to a spot between two posts.  She held her head up high, but when she spotted him and the others, her eyes widened suddenly and the _STAY OUT!_ message ceased.  _Don’t any of you fucking do anything._ She demanded.  _Tell them!  You aren’t to do anything.  I don’t need anyone else to get hurt for my decision or the Council’s stupidity. Tell them!_ She demanded again.

Bellamy grabbed Octavia’s arm, holding her back from where she was about to march forward.  “She says, ‘no.’  It’s not the time or the place.”

“But, Bell,” Octavia protested helplessly.

“She’s right.  We’ll just get ourselves into worse if we try anything right now.  We’ll figure it out later.”

“This is fucking bullshit,” Murphy swore viciously under his breath.

Miller and Monty pushed people aside to come to join them.  “Aren’t we going to do anything?” Miller demanded.

Raven shook her head.  “As much as I hate to admit it, Clarke and Bellamy are right.  It’s not the time.  There’s too many people and everyone’s too scared and stressed from being on the ground for the first time.  This is how they’re trying to put order back in their lives.”

Bellamy looked back to where Clarke was now secured to the posts by ropes.  Someone reached for her wrist with a telltale piece of silver metal.  “You put that fucking piece of shit on me again and I will take it off the second I get down.  And next time you come crying to me about someone getting hurt, it’ll be tough shit for them.”

The man looked to where Chancellor Jaha was presiding over the events.  He shook his head.  “We’ll need her Abilities on the ground.”

Clarke scoffed and rolled her eyes.  _Tough as nails that woman_ , Bellamy though proudly.  Abby approached her and tried to lay a hand on Clarke’s cheek.  Clarke shook her off with a harsh glare.

“I fought them, Honey.  Things are different down here.  I know we can’t keep doing things the same way.  I tried,” Abby pleaded.

“Not hard enough,” Clarke spat back and turned to bite the piece of leather that was being offered to her.  A guard began to cut away the back of her shirt.

“Twenty lashes,” Jaha proclaimed to the crowd.

A nearby observer scoffed.  “That’s only five for each mutant she set free.  She deserves more than that.”

“I need to go,” Jasper said suddenly.  Bellamy could sense the storm brewing at the edges of Jasper’s mind.

“Should someone go after him?” Octavia asked quietly.

“I’ll go,” Monty volunteered.  “I don’t want to be here for this, anyway.”

Bellamy turned to watch them push their way out of the crowd.  A muffled scream of pain brought him back to Clarke. Octavia sought out his hand and squeezed it, seeking comfort.  Raven held the openly crying Fox in her arms.

Bellamy tried to send encouraging support and strong resolve to Clarke, but he knew none of it was getting through. Her mind was singly focused on bearing the next lash with as much dignity and stoicism as possible, interrupted only by the sharp bite of pain when the lash came.  He watched as her resolve lessoned and her legs gave out.  He hated himself as he retreated back to his own mind to shut out her pain.

 

...

 

Bellamy sat with his back against the wall at the back of the Exodus ship, his pant leg wet with Clarke’s tears.  He gently stroked her hair.

“Clarke, are you sure you can’t Heal yourself?” He asked softly.

“I can’t.  I’ve never done it before,” the pained whisper came back.

Bellamy hated this more than pretty much anything he experienced before.  The woman he had grown to see as a badass with impenetrable resolve was reduced to whimpering every time she shifted even slightly.  He looked down to where her bare back was crisscrossed with angry red welts and burns.

“Bellamy, stop torturing yourself and stay out of my head,” she ground out, though the force of the words was lessened by the fact they were muffled by his thigh.  “I know you’re not blocking out my pain, especially because you’re half projecting it _and_ your worry back at me.”

“Sorry,” he murmured, not having realized what he was doing.  “Do you want me to go seek out Lexa?  Have her Heal you again?” He personally hated the idea of initiating of an interaction between the two women, but for Clarke he would do it.

“No!” she objected sharply, jerking her head up and then wincing in pain.  She settled back to her previous position.  “I don’t want her to see camp the way it is.  She’ll think they’re not going to keep our word and then who knows what will happen.”

Bellamy nodded dejectedly, seeing the logic of her thoughts; didn’t make him feel any better though.  Then an idea sparked in his head.  The Abilities of everyone who had landed with them were evolving, Clarke’s should be too.  He began to quietly hum the song he knew accompanied her river.  The evolution was also sudden, sometimes sparked by need.  Just because she didn’t Heal herself when she had been captured by the grounders, didn’t mean she didn’t stand a chance of doing so now.  And hey, if the humming didn’t spark Healing, he knew it was at the very least a calming thing for her.

She joined in with his humming and he projected his mental image of her river to her.  _Try_ , he told her.  He felt her reach for it.  It slipped just beyond her reach.   He kept encouraging her to try again and again.  _Clarke Griffin is not quitter._ She rolled her eyes at him, but reached for it again.

This time was different, instead of it slipping beyond her reach or through her fingers, she dove head first.  Instantly he saw the harsh, bright marks on her back disappear.  She bolted up gasping, clutching her shirt to her chest.  She took a minute to catch her breath.  “It worked,” she panted. “But I definitely need to find a better way of doing it, though.  Overdid it just a bit.”

Bellamy sat there in shock at her sudden movements, then her words caught up with him.  “Wait,” he cocked a questioning eyebrow.  “How do you overdo Healing?  Did you make yourself invulnerable to injury or something?”

Clarke laughed brightly, her lack of pain and excitement at evolving her Ability was contagious.  “No, just every small ailment is gone.  I bruised my leg running into something the other day and its gone, the crick in my neck from how I was laying is fine now. Every small, little thing that was wrong is fixed.  Like how it was when I first got the Ability to Heal.”  Her head bobbed slightly.  “And now cue the exhaustion.”

Bellamy smiled.  “Sleep. Take a nap. I’ll tell the others to get their packs together.  We all wanted to go back to the dropship, but didn’t want to go without you and you weren’t really in a state to move.”

Breathing a sigh of relief at the lack of pain, Clarke slipped on the shirt he had gotten from her pack to replace her ruined one.  Bellamy averted his eyes. She lay back down, using him for a pillow again.  _He’s comfy, don’t overthink it_ , he heard her tell herself.  He bit back a smile.  She spoke aloud, calling him back to their conversation.  “Wouldn’t that be letting them win though.  Proving they broke me?” she said the last part bitterly.  “Plus, I’m too tired to hike back right now.”

“I think it proves the exact opposite.  That you, and the rest of us, are so pissed and so uncaring of their rules that we just up and leave regardless of what they want,” he told her.  “And don’t worry about hiking back, I’ve got you,” he shushed her worries.

She was already half-asleep, so the tone wasn’t quite as intimidating as she probably thought it was.  “Bellamy Blake, you are under no circumstances to carry me back to the dropship.”

“I won’t,” he assured her.  “If I get tired, I’m sure Miller will help.  And if we can get Lincoln to meet us, he’s pretty buff.  Or maybe we can get Jasper to hulk out and then you just be like a little teddy bear to him.”

“Don’t even think about it…” her voice trailed off into sleep.

 _Hey, O,_ he projected out to his sister. _Clarke Healed herself.  Tell everyone we’re leaving for the dropship ASAP._

 _Thank the gods,_ her response came back immediately. _I’ll tell the others and come to you._

 _No, I’ll just meet you at the north edge of their camp.  I think Lincoln’s hovering nearby if you want to contact him however you guys do it._ He had given up trying to prevent her from seeing Lincoln.  And since they now had an accord with the grounders, however tentative, he knew it was even more of a lost cause.

 _Um, yeah.  I’ll do that,_ Octavia told him, something off in her tone.

 _You’re with Lincoln now, aren’t you?_ Bellamy asked, not sure how he missed the proximity of their thoughts.

 _Maybe…_ she admitted.  _I’ll head back into camp and tell the others._

He rolled his eyes, scooping up Clarke.  _Don’t worry about it.  I’ll tell them._  Clarke’s head settled on his shoulder and she mumbled something.  He smiled down at her, glad she was no longer in pain.  They’d have to figure out what to do with the Council and Abled and the grounders’ accord later.  But he’d leave that problem for tomorrow.

 _Miller,_ he reached out.

 _I hate it when you do that,_ Miller grumbled, jumping a little bit.

Bellamy chuckled.  _Clarke Healed herself, so we’re going to meet you near the North edge of camp.  O’s with Lincoln; they’ll meet us there too._

 _Aye, aye, Captain._ Miller mock saluted.

Bellamy picked his way along the outskirts of camp until he saw Miller and the rest waiting with their packs over their shoulders.  Together they moved toward the perimeter of camp.

“Where do you all think you’re going?” One of the guards stopped them.

“Home,” Raven sniped.

The guard looked confused, clearly not recognizing them as the group that had been sent down before.  “No one is allowed to leave camp without the Chancellor’s permission.”

“Try us,” Octavia said, appearing out of nowhere twirling a knife in her hand.

“Alright, let’s get going,” Murphy skidded up next to the group.

“Where have you been?” Raven asked.

Murphy flashed his trademarked smirk.  “Something I had to take care of.”

“Fire!” a scream came from the depths of camp.  The guard looked past them, concerned.

“Yeah, you should probably go help out,” Murphy suggested.

“What the fuck did you do?” Raven asked as the guard sprinted away, deciding a fire was a bigger threat that a group of young adults, one of whom was unconscious.

“Let’s just say, unless they have a second batch of bracelets, they’d better hope they’re fire proof,” he shrugged.

“They’re going to do worse than twenty shocklashes if they find out it was you,” she reprimanded.

“I made it look like an accident. The Councilors are sticklers for rules, they won’t be able to punish without proof.  And unlike Clarke, my sense of self-preservation is still a little higher than my anger on behalf of Abled.”

“Is your fire even hot enough to melt metal?  Fry wires?” Raven countered.

“I don’t know.  I threw in some wood and leaves for kindling.  They were kind of damp, but it should keep burning for a while,” Murphy shrugged.

“That’s just going to make a shit ton of smoke,” she returned.  “Wait…” A smile grew across her face.  She grabbed his face between her hands and kissed him soundly.  “You fucking genius!”  Everyone looked at her stunned, unsure of whether the change in heart or the kiss was more astonishing.

“I know,” Murphy smirked.

“What?  Why?” Jasper asked. 

“Even light smoke damage has the capability to short out electronics by bridging circuits and providing an insulating covering on the heat producing components making them prone to extreme overheating eventually leading to pre-mature failure.” They just gave her blanks stares. “Smoke equals bad.  Problems you can’t see on the surface.  Even if they work at first, there’s a chance the bracelets will fail after a little bit, overheat.”

“Murphy you fucking genius!” Octavia echoed Raven.  “But you’re sure as hell not getting kiss from me.”  Raven blushed.

“Hey,” Clarke interrupted them, her voice filled with sleepy indignation.  The group turned to smile at her, glad she was awake and well.  Clarke paused and looked angrily at Bellamy, struggling against his hold.  He set her on her feet.  “I thought I said you were _not_ allowed to carry me back to the dropship,” she glared.

“Yeah, well,” Bellamy shrugged and gestured for them to start walking. 

Clarke shook her head and mumbled to herself “How did I not wake up until now?”

“I hear I’m pretty comfy,” Bellamy couldn’t help but tease.

“Asshole!” she punched him in the arm.

“So, when are you two going to finally fuck?” Murphy asked, sidling up next to them.

“Not going to happen,” Bellamy told him.

Clarke scoffed and sped up to fall in step with Monty, leaving them a few paces behind.


	12. There's Always Something Happening (and it's usually quite loud)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Did anyone even listen to a word we just said?” Clarke asked.   
> “Clarke, honey, it’s not the time,” her mom tried to reach over and pat her hand.   
> Clarke jerked it off the table and stood. “Well, if you all change your minds and actually want to survive down here, let us know.” She and Bellamy turned in sequence and walked out, seething.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter ended on page 100 of my word document. It felt significant two times over =)
> 
> Chapter Title from “Our House” by Madness because I didn’t know what to call this chapter and my lovely beta, TheAmazonian, said this song was running through her head for some reason while she was reading.

“Cue the dramatic music!”  Octavia called as she walked back into camp.

“Why am I cueing dramatic music?” Clarke asked, looking up from where she was organizing their medical herbs.

“Just saw your mom and a couple other people from Exodus headed this way.”

“Too late to pretend no one’s home?”

“Probably.  I just know the terrain better, so I got here quicker.”

“I actually expected them to show up yesterday and demand that ‘as Ark citizens we return to their camp.’ So, a day and a half of silence was probably best case scenario.”

Octavia laughed, “The joke’s on them because I was never registered as an Ark citizen.”

“Not to mention, they’re technically the Exodus now, not the Ark.”

“Semantics.  Did you and Bell figure out what you’re going to do yet?”

Clarke nodded.  “We talked yesterday.  As much as we would love to just hide out here and keep ourselves separate from the rest of the Sky People, as the grounders like to call us, we need to uphold the accord we made with Lexa.”

“Does that mean the rest of us get to stay here and you and Bell are going to deal with the Council?”

Clarke shot Octavia an unimpressed look.  “Sure.”

“Even better, can we just not open the gate for them and just send you guys out to meet them through a fox hole?”

“Where the fuck did you come from, Murphy?” Clarke turned suddenly at the intrusion.

He shrugged.  “Heard people tromping through the woods while I was out hunting, so I headed back.  Figured none of you would be scaring off the game, and I didn’t really want to run into anyone from Exodus.”

Bellamy walked out from the dropship.  “Council is on its way over here.”

“So I’ve heard,” Clarke replied dryly.  “You want to talk to them here or there?”

“Chancellor’s not with them, so we’ll probably be forced to go there.”

“Of course.  Wouldn’t want to give ‘the mutants’ home field advantage.”

“You know, I’ve never actually understood that adage,” Octavia mused.

“It refers to sports, pre-Apocalypse, when teams would travel to another team’s hometown to play them.”

“That would explain it.  Bellamy was never into watching any of the old sports games.”

“Seriously?” Clarke turned to look at the offender.  “You never watched soccer?  My dad and I loved watching it together.”

“The games were over a hundred years old, where’s the excitement of the outcome?”

She scoffed.  “Asks the guy who named his sister after an _ancient_ Roman!”

“That is completely different.”

The walkie that was never too far from anyone crackled.  “Hey, guys,” Jasper’s voice came through.  “People from the Exodus are approaching.  Are we just letting them in? Or refusing? Or what?”

Clarke grabbed the walkie talkie, “Tell them Bellamy and I would like a formal meeting with the Council and Chancellor and that we can find the time to do it this afternoon if necessary.”

“Making it seem like it was your idea.  Nice,” Octavia commented.

“Take the upper hand whenever you can,” Clarke shrugged.  “At least I learned something growing up around my mom and Thelonious.”

“Skeeves me out to just hear him called ‘Thelonious.’ Makes him sound human,” Octavia shivered dramatically.

“He was once,” Clarke replied somewhat nostalgic.  “When Wells and I were little.”

Bellamy squeezed her shoulder in comfort as her mind drifted to the nights of young Wells and Clarke watching reruns of soccer with their fathers.  “Let’s get going, Princess.  Keep up the illusion that this is just a casual meeting.”

“Small pack with just a walkie and canteens?  That casual enough for you?” she held up the bag that was nearby.

“Perfect,” he nodded.  “Hold down the fort,” he told Octavia, and the two of them were off through the fox hole to meet up with the group that had come from the Exodus ship.

“Hi, Mom,” Clarke greeted.  “We’re ready if you are?”

Abby furrowed her brow.  “I wanted to see your camp.  And we want all of you to come back to the Exodus.  It’s better to have everyone together.  Safer.”

Bellamy scoffed and ignored Clarke’s warning glare.  “Yeah, so much ‘safer’ that you sent _eight_ of us down here and expected us to survive two months without any aid from you all.”

“We weren’t expecting other people to be alive down here,” Abby defended.

Clarke cut in before the two could argue more.  “Too late to do anything about that now.  In fact, that is part of what we wanted to talk to the Council and Chancellor about, so let’s get going.”

“We’re tired and thirsty,” someone spoke up from the entourage.

“We can stop at the spring on the way,” Bellamy told them.  “It’s where we get our water.”

After they finished collecting water for canteens and allowing the Arkers to rest a bit, Clarke and Bellamy turned to lead the way to the Exodus ship.  “You’re going the wrong way,” one of the guards said sharply.

“We’re definitely not,” Clarke replied, unable to keep an edge of annoyance out of her voice.

“We didn’t come from that direction; we came from the east.”

“Heading south and then west is quicker,” Clarke insisted.

“But—”

“Bryne, they have been on the ground for two more months than you.  We’ll trust their judgement,” Abby stepped in.

 _Thank you, Mom.  I would have fucking strangled her._ Clarke thought to herself.  She immediately shot a look to Bellamy.  _Don’t you say a word._

 _Wasn’t going to_ , he smirked back at her.

_Wait, I’m assuming you never registered your Ability with the Ark.  Do they even know what it is?_

_I can already see where you’re headed with this,_ he sent her a small smile.  _And I’m pretty sure they don’t exactly what it is, just that it’s not a physical manifestation.  The rumor that was running through the guards’ heads when I was arrested was that I just had to touch a weapon and instinctively would know how to use it most effectively.  Which would definitely be a nice Ability to have down here. But in answer to your thoughts, yes, we can talk like this and they likely won’t suspect a thing._

 _Perfect_ , Clarke smiled gleefully.  Being able to talk things over, or argue, without being heard by the Council would be a good advantage; it definitely helped with Lexa, though she knew and respected what they were doing.

The group hiked toward Exodus in relative quiet. Clarke exchanging a few words with her mom about how she is doing and the efforts of finding more stations of the Ark.  The other modified short range had been found, the twenty people who had crammed aboard safe.  Clarke made note to tell Raven that the other small ship survived.  She hadn’t said anything, but Clarke knew she was feeling guilty about advising that modification.

She had just crossed into the borders of Exodus’s camp when she heard her name being called.  She let the rest of the group continue as she turned toward the source.  “Sasha?” she almost whispered.

The woman was on her pulling her into a one-armed hug, the other being occupied holding a squirming child on her hip.  “Oh my gods,” Clarke murmured, releasing her hold on the other woman.  “I hadn’t even thought to look for you the other day.  I’m so sorry.  How are you?”

“We’re holding up,” Sasha smiled.  Her eyes flicked behind Clarke before returning. 

Clarke turned to find Bellamy hovering awkwardly.  “Sasha, this is Bellamy.  Bellamy this is Sasha, she is, was, Wells’s—” Clarke choked on her words.

“I’m Wells’s widow,” Sasha supplied.  “And this is Jack-Jack,” she bounced the child on her hip.

“Good to meet you,” Bellamy nodded.  “From what I’ve learned from Clarke, Wells was a good man.”

“The best,” Sasha smiled wistfully.

“Can I?” Clarke asked tentatively, gesturing to the squirming child.

“Of course,” she allowed Clarke to pick up the kid.  “We had always planned on asking you to be the godmother of our child.  Antiquated, I know.  But you know how much Wells liked the Old Earth traditions.”

Clarke nodded and looked in Jack’s wide, curious eyes and saw a bit of her best friend staring back at her.  She looked back up to Sasha.  “You do know what he died for, right?  What we were trying to do?”

Sasha nodded with a small smile.  “Thelonious apparently draws the line at putting his pregnant, widowed daughter-in-law in prison.  Well, as long as I kept my mouth shut.” 

“I tried,” she felt the words beginning to stick in her throat.  “I tried to get him home to you, but they…and I couldn’t get to him in time. And…”

A large hand settled on her upper back and began to make comforting circles.  She leaned slightly into Bellamy’s side, gaining a little strength from him.  Jack pulled on her hair, apparently fascinated with its light color which was so different from his mothers.  She sent him a small smile.

“I know,” Sasha reassured her.  “I know.”  Clarke blinked back tears she hadn’t realized were forming.  “Wait, are you two…?” a teasing smile appeared on Sasha’s lips.  She had always been trying to set Clarke up with people on the Ark before life went to shit.  Of course she’d read into a small, comforting gesture.

“What?  No,” Clarke said quickly, straightening up.  Bellamy’s hand dropped to his side with the same speed.  “He’s just, um, we came down here together two months ago, and um…well there’s the others too.  And um, he’s just been my, um, we wouldn’t have survived if it wasn’t for him.”  She felt blood rush to her cheeks. 

“Hey, you’re the one who brought half of us back from the brink of death,” Bellamy defended her to herself.  “You’re the real reason we survived.  But no,” he addressed Sasha.  “We’re not…yeah.”

“Okay, okay.  I take it back,” Sasha told them, but the smile didn’t leave her face.

Bellamy cocked his head.  “They’re starting the meeting.”

“I thought the whole point was so that we could be there,” Clarke said annoyed.

“Apparently not.”

“Sorry, Sasha.  We’ve got to go.”  Clarke handed Jack back to his mom and carefully extracted her hair from his tight grip.

“Go.  Try to make life on Earth less shitty than it was on the Ark.”

Clarke laughed.  “We’ll do our best.  And if you ever need a break from Thelonious, we’ll welcome you at our camp.  I’d love to see more of you and Jack either way.” 

“I’ll keep that in mind.  Great to see you alive and well, Clarke.  And great to meet you, Bellamy,” Sasha said with smile before she turned back toward the direction she had come from.

“You too,” Bellamy called after her.  He turned to Clarke.  “Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.”  They marched into the ship and easily found where the Council was meeting.

“You’re interrupting a meeting of the Council,” Diana Sidney snapped as soon as they breached the doorway.

“We’re supposed to be here,” Clarke returned sharply.

“We don’t need your information on the ground until later,” Jaha told them.  “We will call you for it later.”

Clarke could feel Bellamy tensing next to her, getting ready for a fight.  “No,” she stepped in before he could act.  “We heard you talking about the Abled.  We feel comfortable representing them here.  And they are relevant to the accord we came to with the grounders.  Any information you discuss about them could affect the accord and Bellamy and I need to be here for that.”

Bellamy strode forward and sat down in one of the empty seats that were apparently going to be theirs for “later.”  Clarke followed.  “Proceed,” Bellamy gestured for them to continue as they had been.

Diana looked to Jaha.  When he gave a magnanimous nod, she shot the two of them a glare and resumed, “As I was saying.  We need to relegate the guns to where they are needed most.  The guards and hunting.”

“We’re not disputing that,” Kane

“So what are you disputing?”

Callie spoke up, “I’m saying that refusing to allow any Abled to be on either the guard or go hunting will cause more harm than good.”

“The majority of them are still braceleted.  With that they are no different than any other member of camp,” Abby added.

“The bracelet may prevent the mutants from acting out using their power, but if you put a gun in their hands, they’re still liable to attack.”

“Having an Ability does not automatically make you a psychotic murderer waiting for someone to hand you a weapon,” Clarke sniped, not being able to stop herself from interjecting.

“Says the girl sitting next to a mutant assassin,” Diana scoffed.  Running over Clarke’s further protests, she turned to Jaha.  “I still can’t believe you pardoned all the criminals when we came down to Earth.”

“It’s part of the Exodus Charter.  New Earth means a clean slate, a chance to prove oneself to be different.”

Kane dismissed the aside.  “So, we all agree, guns only for guards and hunting parties.”

“And no mutants on either job,” Diana added.

“Only braceleted,” Kane offered.

“You’re missing an opportunity,” Bellamy broke in.  “Some Abilities make surviving easier down here.  Hell, Octavia’s Ability is half the reason we’re able to get as much from hunting as we do.”

“And how do we know we can trust them to use their Ability only for those purposes?” Jaha inquired.

“How do you know you can’t?” Bellamy returned.

“Why did you choose those of us who you sent down?  For our Abilities.  Don’t think we didn’t notice how perfectly they all aligned for our survival,” Clarke added.  “If you just wanted to see if the ground was survivable, you could have sent anyone, but you chose to send Abled.”

“Callie pointed out that it would probably take fewer people to form a competent crew. It was a solid argument,” Kane answered.

“I also propose no weapons outside of those on duty in general,” Abby spoke up.

“And what if there’s an attack?” Bellamy asked.

“Well, you said your accord took care of the grounders,” Diana sneered.

“There’s still the Mountain Men, and grounders who are not part of the twelve clans and don’t answer to the Commander.”

“The guards will take care of any threats,” Abby supplied.  “That’s what they’re there for.”

“And what if they don’t?”

“We have a sound guard,” Kane added.  “And once we finish our fence, we’ll be fine.  Sinclair said another week, two if there are complications, and he can have it electrified.”

 _Well, no way are we staying here in that case_ , Bellamy projected to Clarke.

 _Did you just tell me where I can and cannot live?_ Clarke replied, half teasing, half affronted.

_No.  But I won’t be sympathetic at your funeral if you die from an attack because you’re unarmed._

_Isn’t that why you taught me to fight?_

_Sure, but it’s a hell of a lot easier to win a fight when you have a knife or a gun._

_True._

“So, it’s settled then,” Jaha announced.  “No weapons allowed except to on-duty guards and hunting parties.  And only braceleted mutants allowed.”

“That’s idiotic, not to mention discriminatroy.  You should take off the bracelets and allow the Abled to help form a sustainable community,” Clarke started.

“And you don’t have a say on what we do and do not do,” Diana said icily.  “And you’ll do well to remember exactly what happens when you take off mutants’ bracelets.  How is your back, by the way?”

Clarke’s hand shot to Bellamy’s thigh to forcibly prevent him from leaping at Diana’s throat.  She could still see his jaw ticking in aggravation out of the corner of her eye.  “Very well, thank you for asking,” she replied sweetly.

“Moving on to other business,” Jaha continued.  “As you know, the bracelets were caught in a fire.  Sinclair thinks it was simply a loose wire that sparked.”

 _Remind me to thank Sinclair for that,_ Clarke sent to Bellamy.  _Murphy’s an idiot.  “I made it look like and accident…I put some wood and leaves on it to make it burn.” Wood and leaves do_ not _look like an accident._

Bellamy tried to hide his smile.

“Some of them are still working,” Jaha continued.  The smile fell from Bellamy’s face.  “How do we propose to use them?”

“I propose we cuff the two mutants sitting right at this table,” Diana suggested snidely.

Bellamy leveled her with a menacing glare.  “I’d like to see you try.”

“Keep them for the dangerous Abled.  Ones who use their Abilities to commit a crime,” Abby suggested.

“Again, two, right at this table,” Diana insisted.

“Neither of us have ever used our Abilities to commit a crime,” Clarke pointed out.

Diana scoffed, but said nothing else.

“What about the ones that took off their bracelets when they landed?  Not you two,” Kane said pointedly when Bellamy opened his mouth about to speak.  “The others.”

Clarke jumped in before anyone else could.  “You all know exactly how bad Farm Station was when it crashed.  How many fewer people do you think would have gotten out if Miller and Monroe hadn’t been using their Abilities to search for and rescue people?  How has gathering been going since Fox has been seeking out food and Harper’s been using her speed to collect things or explore the area?”  Clarke looked at the faces of the Council and shook her head.  “You haven’t been letting them help, have you?”

“Well—” her mom started to protest.

“You’re wasting one of your most valuable resources!  Do you know how much help the Abled could be if you just let them?” she was losing her patience with them and their stuck in the mud ways.  “Thank the gods we made that accord with Lexa; it’ll help the Abled actually feel useful.”

“What do the Abled have to do with the accord you made?” Callie asked.

“Part of the agreement was that our Abled go to some of the grounders’ villages and help create a stable environment, prepare for winter, those kind of things,” Clarke explained.

“So, you’re telling us the Abled are such a valuable resource, but you’ve already bartered it away,” Abby questioned.

“First off, you make them sound like they can be bought and sold; they’re people, it’s going to be on a volunteer basis.  Strongly encouraged to aid in better relations, but volunteer.  Second, it’s only some of them.  Others will stay here.  And third, you’re not fucking letting them do anything, so why do you care?”

“Let me get this straight,” Diana measured out her words.  “You agreed to send dangerous mutants to go live and help and be trained by killers?  You, girl,” she spat the word, “are trying to kill the rest of us _normal_ people off.”

“I assure you,” Clarke gritted through her teeth, “that is the opposite of what I’m trying to do.”

 _If we stay any longer,_ Bellamy projected. _I will find a way to kill her using my Ability.  And if that fails, I’ve got my gun in my belt._ Clarke could sense the truth of his words and couldn’t blame him in the least.  Hell, she’d even help.

“I propose we stick to Abby’s suggestion.  Keep the bracelets for the most dangerous,” Kane tried to override the tension.  “Other than that, we keep things as they are, not taking off any bracelets, not putting any on.”

“Did anyone even listen to a word we just said?” Clarke asked.

“Clarke, honey, it’s not the time,” her mom tried to reach over and pat her hand. 

Clarke jerked it off the table and stood.  “Well, if you all change your minds and actually want to survive down here, let us know.” She and Bellamy turned in sequence and walked out, seething.

They were almost out of the ship when Bellamy started chuckling a little.

“What?” she demanded sharply.

“Nothing.  I just don’t think I’ve ever sensed you this mad since we first landed.  It’s just nice that it’s not directed at me this time.”

“You’re an ass,” she told him and jerked to a halt just outside the ship to keep from running over one of the girls she remembered from Farm Station.

“Clarke?” Harper ask tentatively.  “I know it was kind of our fault you got shocklashed…” she looked at the ground unable to meet Clarke’s eyes.  “But can we go back with you?  To your camp?”

Clarke looked past Harper to see Fox, Monroe, and a couple other teens and young adults hovering in the background.  She caught Bellamy’s eye, _We were making some pretty big claims on behalf the Abled on how we can be helpful in building a society.  Maybe if we have tangible proof?_

 _Half of them look like kids._ He nodded toward the group watching them intently.  _I don’t want to end up babysitting.  If they come back, they have to contribute.  Especially since we’d have to reorganize camp, move back the perimeter..._ She sensed him already making a list on all the things they’d have to do despite his original worry.

She turned to address the group, “As long as you all understand that this isn’t just running away from your problems.  It’s hard work surviving down here and you’re going to have to pull your weight.”

There were a variety of nods and yesses.  Clarke looked at Bellamy once more for reassurance.  “Alright, then let’s head out.”

 

* * *

 

 

“You just had to go and adopt a dozen Abled, didn’t you?” Octavia asked Bellamy as they sat on guard duty a couple evenings later.  “And leave the door open for more to trickle in every day.”

“The Council is a bunch of fucking assholes who kept saying it’s different now that we’re on the ground, but they don’t act like anything has changed.  I wasn’t about to leave a bunch of more or less kids to fend for themselves against that.”

“The amount of land we have isn’t going to be sustainable if more keep coming though.”

He looked over his shoulder back at their camp.  There were now three separate fires going and people surrounding each.  He and Clarke had their hands full the last couple days trying to organize everyone.  “I know.  We’ll figure it out.”  He spotted a couple younger girls practicing sword play in an open space.  “You have a fan club,” he pointed them out to his sister.

Octavia snorted.  “Like you don’t.  Though yours is definitely of a different kind.”

Bellamy raised an eyebrow in question.

“Half the girls that come over from Exodus ask me if you and Clarke are together or if you’re interested in looking elsewhere for a night of fun.  Why they think your little sister would even want to know about your sex life, I have no idea.”

“I have never been more grateful for being able to close myself off from people’s thoughts before.”

“You seriously didn’t notice?  They practically moon over you, especially when you’re teaching them how to fight and shoot.”

“Some of them are sixteen!” Bellamy objected, suppressing a shudder while Octavia cackled gleefully at his discomfort.

The walkie crackled.  “Bellamy, you read?” Raven’s voice came through.

“Yeah, I’m here,” he answered.

“Sinclair and I just finished up with the camp to camp comms.  First thing we get through is the Council demanding you and Clarke come to Exodus tomorrow.”  There was a pause.  “Kane is insisting I tell you that they’re asking, not demanding.”

“What do they want?”

“Something about the kids that are coming to our camp and the accord with the grounders.  I don’t know, I don’t do politics,” she sounded annoyed.  “He says if you and Clarke can talk now, he’ll brief you fully.”

“On my way,” he sighed.  “Duty calls,” he told Octavia.  “I’ll send someone up to take my place.”

“Can you find Miller or someone who’s not going to ask me a million questions?”

“Tired of telling people what it’s like to have a sibling?” he teased, climbing down the ladder.

“Oh, I’ve got that one down to a single sentence:  Bellamy is an overprotective pain in my ass.”

“Who you love.”

“Yeah, that too,” she laughed.  Bellamy missed moments like this.  Since coming to the ground he and Octavia didn’t get to just chat and tease one another as often as they used to. 

He found Miller with ease and sent him up to watch the perimeter with Octavia.  Clarke was not so easily spotted, so he reached out to locate her thought pattern.  _Clarke? Raven just got the comms working with Exodus and Kane wants to speak with us._

 _Great_ , the thought came filled with sarcasm.  _I’ll be there in a minute.  I’m just explaining some herbs to Finn._

_Raven’s ex-boyfriend?_

_Raven’s ex?_

_Yeah, met him right after Farm Station.  Hinted that he and Raven were going to get married one day._

_Then why the fuck is he not-so-subtly trying to get in my pants?_

Bellamy suppressed an irrational surge of jealousy.  _I don’t know_ , he snapped.  _But tell him no, and meet me by Raven and the comms._

Clarke’s thought came back sharp, but a tinge of upset and confused lingered around it.  _I already said I’d be there._

When she walked into the tent a few minutes later, she turned her back to him as she took over Raven’s chair to listen to Kane.  After they were briefed, she left without a word; he was left wondering what he did.  Growing up with Octavia, he knew better than to follower her and ask.

 

...

 

The next day Clarke acted like nothing out of the ordinary had happened.  Not wanting a second round of the cold shoulder, especially going into the meeting, Bellamy followed suit.  By the time they reached the gates for camp Exodus, Bellamy supposed he just imagined it last night.

“New policy in effect, hand over your guns and weapons, Blake,” Bryne sneered as she stopped them.

“I don’t even live here and I still have to be unarmed,” he muttered angrily under his breath, just loud enough for Bryne to hear.

“Well, you did shoot the Chancellor once,” Clarke reminded him teasingly, keeping her voice quiet.  “What’s to say you won’t try again?”

“Next time, it’ll be a better shot, and _you_ won’t even be able to Heal him,” he murmured in return as he handed Bryne his two pistols and hunting knife.  “Those had all better be in the exact same condition when I pick them up before we leave,” he warned.

“You too, Griffin,” Bryne addressed Clarke.  Clarke rolled her eyes and handed the guard the hunting rifle that was slung on her back.  “That’s it?”

“I have Bellamy with me.  He’s usually pretty well-armed,” Clarke shrugged and they moved toward the ship.

“I thought I told you to keep that dirk on you at all times,” Bellamy reprimanded when they had taken a few steps.

She slid him a sly smile.  _Who says I don’t still have it on me?  They don’t expect me to be a warrior; I’ll use that to my advantage.  And don’t tell me you gave over all your weapons._

 _Good job, Princess_ , he complimented.  _And no. I didn’t_ , he shared her smile.

He dropped his smile and cocked his head.  “Did they find another Station from the Ark in the past few day?” he asked aloud.

“I don’t think so, why?”

“There are just more people here than I remember.”

Clarke furrowed her brow in concern.  “If anything, there should be fewer, seeing as though two dozen or so have come to the Dropship.”

“I know…” he trailed off and reached out to better identify the additional thoughts.  “Shit!” he said, taking off to the rear of camp.

“Bellamy!” Clarke shouted loudly and aggravatedly, chasing after him.  “What is it?”

“Mount Weather!” he yelled over his shoulder.  “They’re going to attack from the rear of camp.  We need to warn the guards back there!” 

They rounded the corner of the ship just in time to see canister land on the inside of the half-built fence and start billowing a red smoke, guards fell to the ground.  People in hazmat suits holding rifles quietly made their way into camp around the fallen bodies.

“Fuck, fuck!” Bellamy shouted. He grabbed her arm and yanked her out of the way.  Two tranq darts flew through the air in which she had just been standing. 

“Fuck,” she agreed, a look of worry plastered on her face.


	13. When the Mountain Attacks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke allowed herself only a brief moment of panic at the sight of Mount Weather attacking, before she settled her thoughts into getting out of the situation. Ideas sprang through her mind in rapid succession, as she tried to think of their best option.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got this chapter back with this note from my beta, "Gurl. This chapter is so intense. Like I couldn't stop reading." Hope you all feel the same; it's probably my favorite chapter I've written so far. It was definitely a bit of emotional turmoil for me to write as well (if you follow me on [Tumblr](https://dracoterrae9099.tumblr.com/), you may have seen my mini-rant about me freaking out while writing).

“Who’s up for a hunting party?” Octavia asked, poking her head in from the top of the ladder and interrupting Raven’s train of thought.  The highest floor of the Dropship was the only place Raven could find some peace and quiet to work on her latest project.  Her tent was too loud due to the rebuilding of the walls and everyone setting up their own tents; and if she was on the first floor of the ship, people were always finding her and asking her questions that Clarke or Bellamy would have a better answer to.

“Fuck, yes,” Murphy said, getting up from where he had been sitting next to Raven.  “The newbies did some of that fucking kumbaya shit yesterday and tried to get me to participate.  I need to get out of here.”

“Oh no, meeting new people and talking to them.  The horrors!” Raven teased.

“Says the girl hiding on the third floor.”

“Raven?  You in?” Octavia ignored Murphy.

“Nah.  I’m working on this,” she held up a tablet Sinclair had snuck to Clarke to give to her; it was opened to her latest schematics.

“What even is that?”

“Helping Sinclair electrify their fence.  Which I will definitely also use to help an electricity boost here.  And it will be a lot easier to concentrate on what I need to do if I don’t have a certain _someone_ being a constant distraction,” she leveled a look at Murphy.

“You love my distractions,” Murphy returned, smacking a kiss on the top of her head before sauntering toward the ladder. 

“I don’t understand you two,” Octavia shook her head and climbed down the ladder.  Murphy followed.

Raven was able to work an hour or so in peace before the walkie that was never too far from here crackled and Miller’s voice came through.  “Raven?  You there? Octavia?”

She groaned and picked up the device, knowing Miller would only bother her with something important.  “Yeah, I’m here.  What is it?”

“I’m not entirely sure.  But you know how I’ve been getting better at sensing a place and the number of people?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, I feel like there’s a lot of people coming closer to our camp, but I’m not entirely sure, yet. It’s really vague since it’s outside an enclosed space.”

“And you’re sure it’s not just Clarke and Bellamy back early?”

“It’s a lot more than two people.  That much I know.”

“Maybe Octavia and the hunting party could scout for us, if she would get the fucking walkie out of her pack!” Raven shouted a little louder.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m here.  You effectively scared away the deer though,” Octavia’s voice came through.  “What direction?”

“North.”

“Great, the exact opposite direction from what we went.  I’ll round up the troops and we’ll check it out.”

 “Sounds good.”

“Keep us updated.”

“Will do.”

Raven put the walkie down and went back to her work.  Or she tried to at least; the worry that a group of people were approaching camp made her antsy.  Maybe another group of Arkers, she reasoned.  The other options, grounders or Mountain Men, were not entirely comforting thoughts, despite the supposed accord with the grounders.

After fifteen restless minutes, the walkie crackled again. “Octavia, they’re close.  Any update?” Miller asked, sounding just as nervous as Raven, if not more.

“Sorry, thought it’d be easier to hike along the river.  Newbie fell in and we had to fish him out.  We left the others to get him back to camp. I’m scouting ahead with Murphy, but it still will be another ten minutes before we can get North of the dropship.”

“Just let us—” Miller cut off.

“What was that Miller?” Octavia asked.

Raven waited with bated breath.  “Miller?”

Nothing.

“I’m going down to check what’s happening,” Raven told Octavia, scrambling toward the ladder.

“Don’t,” Murphy’s sharp reprimand came through.

“I need to know what happened,” Raven insisted.

“You don’t survive by barging headfirst into an unknown, dangerous situation.”

“Says the man who snuck into Mount Weather,” she retorted, now on the second-floor landing.

“With a team!”

“And part of that team, just stopped answering his walkie!”

“I don’t want you to get hurt!” Murphy yelled back.

Raven swallowed whatever she was about to say when she hit the first floor landing and locked eyes with a man in a hazmat suit pointing a rifle at her.

“We’ve got another one,” he called over his shoulder.

Raven took the momentary distraction to lay a hand on the wall behind him and manipulate the wires of the ship.  Why the fuck did she leave her gun by the coms station? She eyed it halfway across the room.  The group of wires she was controlling slithered along the wall and wrapped themselves around the man’s torso.  Throw him out of the way and she could get to the gun and help the others.

The man began to panic at the tightening wires.  He aimed his gun in her direction and fired.  Raven felt the sharp impact tear its way through her body and watched herself fall in slow motion, voices echoing as if underwater.

“What the fuck, Smith?  It’s non-lethal at this camp!”

“She was trying to kill me with those wires!”

“Well, she’ll bleed out before we can get her back to the Mountain.  Just leave her.”

The world faded to black.

 

* * *

 

 

Clarke allowed herself only a brief moment of panic at the sight of Mount Weather attacking, before she settled her thoughts into getting out of the situation.  Ideas sprang through her mind in rapid succession, as she tried to think of their best option.

“Get as many people as we can in the ship and close the doors,” Bellamy said, apparently having been listening to her whirring mind.

“But what about those on the outside?” she asked desperately, the reason she had rejected it.

“We can’t take on this many Mountain Men ourselves.  And because of that stupid rule, no one but on duty guards are remotely prepared for the attack.”

“But—”

“We’ll save as many as we can, but that’s our best option to live to fight another day.”

She was about to argue more when the pop of a gun sounded a little too close for her liking.  “Fine,” she snapped and let herself be pushed back toward the front of the ship.  Shouting had erupted throughout the camp.

“Into the ship.  Into the ship,” she and Bellamy began herding everyone within shouting distance.  People simply looked grateful for someone telling them what to do.

On the outskirts of camp, the sound of the exchange of gunfire echoed at a steady rate.  She wasn’t sure how many Mountain Men had live fire vs tranq darts. But she didn’t want to stick around to find out.  The guards could handle themselves, that’s what they were trained for.  She’d help out in the aftermath, they just needed to get as many people as they could—

Clarke spotted a girl, maybe five-years-old, crying for her dad.  Without a second thought she ran from the minimal cover provided by the ship, vaguely hearing Bellamy swear behind her.  She just reached the child and looked up only to spot a Mountain Man aiming for her with a rifle.  She froze, shielded the child with her body, and waited for the bullet.

It never came. She raised her head.  The Mountain Man was fallen over with a knife in his neck; Bellamy was crouching down to take the rifle.  “Get to her the ship,” Bellamy grunted.  “I’ll cover you.”

Clarke nodded and took off for the ship, carrying the child.  _We have time to try come out and get a few more inside before we close the doors, right?_ she sent to him.

She got back a mix of annoyance and admiration.  _You’re going to be the death of me.  But yes, we can try._

Clarke smiled triumphantly and set the girl down, “Okay, run and find a place to hide.  We’ll be back later, after all the bad men are gone.”  The girl nodded tearfully, only moving once Clarke gave her a little push.

Clarke turned to leave the ship when Kane stopped her.  “Clarke, what’s going on?”

“Mountain Men.  We’re getting as many into the Exodus ship as we can, and then shutting the doors.”

“We?”

“Me and Bellamy. I’ve got to go.  Make sure everyone stays inside.  If the Mountain Men get too close, close the doors.  I don’t care who isn’t on this side, save who you can.”  Without waiting for a response, she dashed out the doorway again.  _Bellamy?_ she demanded.

_South side of the ship._

She took off in that direction, and spotted him using a stack of supply boxes as a shield as he provided cover for some Arkers to make their mad dash toward the ship.  She slid in next to him.  “How we looking?”

He didn’t even spare her a glance, laying down fire when the Mountain Men poked their heads up.  “They’re shooting to kill anyone without a bracelet.  Tranq darts are primarily reserved for the Abled, who they’re taking back to the Mountain.  For gods know what; they’re not really thinking about the why of it right now.”

“Fuck,” she muttered.

“Fuck, indeed,” he scoffed.  “I’m almost out of bullets and I don’t think we can move past this quadrant to get anyone else back to the ship.”

“Are they pressing forward more?  I told Kane to close the doors if they got too close, no matter who was still outside.  Don’t know if he’ll listen, but I tried.”

“If anyone would see the logic in that, it’d be Kane.” Bellamy released another round which ended with the telltale clicking.  “And I’m out.”

She met his gaze, gaining strength from his steady determination.  “Can we get more people to the ship?”

“You don’t know when to stop, do you?” he asked, with a smile.

“No, I do not,” she returned, matching his smile.  His mouth abruptly dropped to a frown.  “What?  What happened?” Clarke asked desperately.

“Mountain Man got a lucky shot.  I thought the guard would hold on this side for a little longer.  We’re pinned.”

 

* * *

 

 

Raven blinked.  The world was a swaying blur.  Her body felt like it had used for target practice by all the newly adopted Abled.

Then it came back to her.  It wasn’t the newly adopted Abled, it was a Mount Weather soldier.

She used all her strength to reach to where the walkie had fallen a few feet away.

She gritted her teeth against the pain.  “Murphy? Octavia?”

“We’re here, Raven.  What happened?” Murphy came back immediately.

“Mountain Men.  Attacked.  Need Clarke,” she grunted, trying to pull herself to a seated position against the wall of the Dropship.

“What happened?  Are you hurt?” Murphy asked urgently.  “Raven?  Raven!”

“I’m going to take a nap until you get here,” she told him, her eyes suddenly very heavy.

“No.  No sleeping.  Raven, you’ve got to listen to me.  Don’t fall asleep.  Tell me what happened.”

“I did.  Mountain Men attacked.  Just wake me up when you get here with Clarke.  I need Clarke.”  She slipped into unconsciousness again.

 

* * *

 

 

“Okay, not the end of the world,” Clarke breathed.  “We’re going to get out of this.  What are our options?”

Bellamy looked around.  “How weirded out do you think Kane will be if I project to him to close the doors?”

“Probably pretty freaked.  But as long as he listens, I don’t give a fuck.  I’m assuming that’s your way of saying that we’re not going to make it back.”

He nodded, pausing before he started chuckling to himself.  “He definitely freaked out, jumped about a mile in the air, but he closed the doors.  And to answer your question, no. We’re not getting inside Exodus.  We’re going to move for cover behind that shed and then through the fence into the woods.”

“Because once they realize they can’t get in to Exodus, they’ll head home, through the woods in the opposite direction,” Clarke nodded catching on.

“The problem is getting to the shed.”

“If only we were Octavia,” Clarke flashed a smile, not ready to give up yet.  They had a plan and it was going to work.  Everyone they could save was safe and they’d get the rest out of Mount Weather as soon as possible.

“Camouflage would definitely be an asset right now.  You first,” he said, shifting places with her so she was closer.  “The longer we wait, the closer the men from the front are going to be.  And be ready to listen.  When I say stop, you stop, but only for a second.  When I say duck, you duck.  When I—”

“I get the point, Mr. Mindreader.  You’re going to determine where they’re aiming.  I’ll listen.”

Bellamy nodded and reached for her hand for a quick reassuring squeeze.  It was over so soon she almost thought she imagined it.  “Go,” he commanded.

She took off in the direction of the shed. _Freeze_. She stopped in her tracks and felt the zip of a bullet or tranq fly past her nose.  She sprinted forward.  _Dive_.  She dived rolled behind the shed, hearing a thunk as the bullet hit the tree a couple yards past her.  She rolled her shoulder.  Dive rolling was a lot more fun in practice and theory than actuality.

 _Come on, Bell_ , she encouraged him.  And held her breath as he zipped and dodged.  Only releasing it when he was standing next to her, breathing heavily as they leaned against the wall of the shed.

“Into the woods,” he nudged her after a few seconds.  “They’re only sending two men after us, but I think we can take them.  Let’s lead ‘em out further from reinforcements first, though.”

Clarke nodded and shimmied her way through the wire fence. Bellamy close behind.  They quickly and silently made their way through the trees, but Clarke wasn’t as familiar with the landscape here as she was with that nearer to the Dropship.  She came up to a stop as she ran into a sheer rock face.  It was times like this she vaguely wished she had a more active or physical power.

“Fuck,” Bellamy muttered.

“That seems to be the word of the day,” Clarke shook her head.  “Do we have time to double back?”

“Not really.  I can maybe circle back and at least try to take out one of them while you try to find a way around this or a cave or something.”

“Bellamy Blake, just because you have a dick, doesn’t mean you’re more immune to danger!”

He barked out a laugh.  “No, but because I’m a convicted assassin and have been fighting half my life, I might stand a better chance of taking out at least one of the guys.”

“I’m going on the record as hating this plan.”

“I’m not too big of a fan of it either, Princess. But if it gets us out of here…”

“Okay, fine.  Go.  Be safe.  I’m heading east along the wall.  Though I’m sure you can find my thought pattern.”

“Always,” he smiled and disappeared into the trees.

Clarke grumbled as she made her way along the wall, wishing she had Bellamy’s Ability, so she could at least know what was going on.  It didn’t help that this was a never-ending rock face.  She heard a light rustling of leaves and reached for her dirk, still hidden in her waistband.

 _It’s me,_ Bellamy projected moments before appearing. 

“How’d it go?”

He joined her steps and they continued along the wall.  “As well as expected.  Dropped one of them, but not the other.  He may or may not be out for a little revenge now.  Well, more so than before.  He’s not too far behind either.”

“Great,” Clarke told him, voice dripping with sarcasm.

They continued in silence, Clarke jumping at every little noise, hand hovering nearing her weapons.  They rounded a promising corner and hurried along it.  Just when they reached a dead end, a voice called sickeningly sweet.  “Two little sky people trapped.  Pretty scenery for a final resting place, though.”

“I thought villains only made speeches like that in fiction,” she told Bellamy, but loud enough for the man to hear her.  Bellamy snorted out a laugh.

“Shut up, bitch,” the Mountain Man raised his rifle at them.  Bellamy dodged in front of Clarke.  The rifle clicked.  Out of bullets.

“What did I say earlier?” Clarke gritted out, shoving Bellamy to the side.  “Dick does not equal immune from danger or damage.”

“As much as I’d love to argue my point with you, I think we’ve got some other things to worry about at the moment,” he threw a dagger at the approaching man who had gotten out what looked like a shock baton.

_Do not let him touch you with that, he put it on the lethal setting…also, you don’t happen to have any extra weapons on you, do you?  That may or may not have been my last dagger.  Did I mention I hate that fucking rule the Council wrote?_

_Good to know._ Clarke smiled at him out of the corner of her eye.  _Dirk on my left and back, and a boot knife.  Take your pick._

_I knew you said you had your dirk, but since when are you armed to the teeth?_

_Since they told me I couldn’t have weapons inside their walls._

_That’s my girl,_ he smiled, hand slipping to her back to find her second dirk.  Pulling it out just in time to parry the blow of the shock baton.  She could hear the sizzle of electricity piercing the air. 

Clarke slipped the other dirk into her hand, watching Bellamy parry and thrust and looking for an opening, and making sure she steered clear of the buzzing baton.  Bellamyparried another blow, but this time the Mountain Man kept pushing against the blade, urging it closer to Bellamy.

Bellamy maneuvered his feet so that they both had to turn, giving Clarke the opportunity she needed.  She danced around the grappling and sank her knife into the soft flesh of the Mountain Man’s neck, severing his carotid and jugular.  She felt the brief flare of her Ability shouting at the broken arteries and veins, demanding they be fixed.  She pushed it back, and watched as the man fell to the ground.

She took a deep breath and looked up to meet Bellamy gaze.  He stepped around the body and cupped her cheek gently, making sure she didn’t look away from his soft brown eyes.  “It had to be done,” he told her.

She swallowed and nodded sadly, keeping her eyes on Bellamy rather than the corpse at their feet.  “Can we go home, now?”

“Whatever the hell you want, Princess,” he smiled, reaching for her hand.

She laced her fingers with his and they began making their way out of the woods.

 

* * *

 

 

Murphy sprinted through the fox hole, only noticing in passing that the entire camp was empty.  He only had one thing in mind:  Raven.  Between her cryptic walkie conversation and it cutting off suddenly, he was thinking the worst.

His fears weren’t assuaged any when he ran into the Dropship and saw her sitting against the back wall in puddle of red.  He knelt down next to her, giving no care to how the blood was staining his clothes. He felt for a pulse, just how Clarke taught him, and let out the breath he was holding when it thrummed beneath his fingers.  Weak, but there.

“Is she?” Octavia’s voice cracked as she entered the ship and took in the sight before her.

“No, she still has a pulse.  We need Clarke.  I don’t know what to do,” Murphy was surprised to hear his own voice crack slightly.

“They don’t have a walkie.  Bell said either the coms or he might be able to hear us telepathically.”

“I don’t care, just get her the fuck here, now!”

“I know, I know.  I’m on it.”

Murphy cupped Raven’s cheek, willing her to wake up.  “Come on, come on.  You’re so strong, you’ve got this.  Just open up your eyes and tell me to fuck off.  I won’t because, well, you know me.  But come on, Raven.  Do this one little thing for me.”

“Fuck off, Murphy,” a whispered voice came.

Murphy started laughing joyously.  “Not a chance in hell, Raven,” he smiled.

“Clarke?” she asked, her voice shaking.

“She’s on her way.  I promise.”

“Murphy, I’m cold.”

He laughed wetly, “Well, I’m no Healer, but warmth I can do.” He brought his fire up to right beneath his skin, a trick he had been practicing.  He kept it low, hot enough so it only let off warmth, not enough to burn.”

“That’s better,” Raven sighed, leaning into him.  “Clarke’s coming right?”

“Yeah, she’ll be here soon.”

“Okay, because I don’t want to be a drama queen, but I think I might be dying.”

“Nope.  No dying on my watch,” Murphy scolded.

Raven fell silent next to him.  He leaned over to look at her, checking her chest to make sure she was still breathing.  Octavia’s voice floated over from the coms station.  A quiet murmur before Octavia blew up.  “I don’t fucking give two shits, ten shits, five-hundred thousand shits!  Get me someone important to talk to or tell Clarke Griffin she needs to come to the Dropship right now!”

After a flustered apology from some clearly low-ranking engineer, Sinclair’s voice came back, trying to placate the enraged Blake.  “Octavia, we closed the doors, we were attacked, too.  Clarke and Bellamy,” there was a pause.  “They were on the other side of the door.  We don’t know what happened to them.”

“Well, open the fucking doors and check.  We need Clarke,” her voice got quiet.  “They shot Raven.”

“Is she okay?  Of course, she’s not okay, you just said you need Clarke,” Sinclair’s voice was beginning to sound a little panicked as well.  “I’ll see what I can do.  The first sight of her and I’ll tell her to head back to the Dropship immediately.”

“Thanks, Sinclair.  I’m sorry I yelled, it’s just…”

“I understand.  Don’t worry.  Let me find Abby and so she can tell you what to do until Clarke can get to you.”

Murphy breathed a sigh of relief.  “You hear that Raven?  You’re going to be okay.  We’re going to get you through this.”

“Good,” her tired voice returned.  “I’m too awesome to die.  Tell Clarke to hurry her ass up.”

Murphy chuckled.  “Yup, I knew you weren’t ready to give up on me yet.”

 

* * *

 

 

“Home-home or stop at Exodus?” Bellamy asked, squeezing Clarke’s hand gently.  She hadn’t let go since the event in the forest and he knew she was still reeling a little from her first kill, well human kill.  It was one thing to watch another person do it and to even practice and gain the skills of doing it.  But it was a whole other story to actually take a life.

“Would you stop giving me that look?” Clarke snapped at him, though her tone was more annoyed than angered.  “I’ll be fine.  Like you said, it had to be done.  I just wasn’t prepared for how my Ability would scream at me to fix him for the half-second before he died.  And oh my god, that’s probably a hundred times worse for you.”

He chuckled, “I wouldn’t say I’m used to it, but I accept it.  It’s not like their thought pattern cuts off abruptly, more like fades out.” He shrugged.  He didn’t like talking about it, but he knew Clarke might need to.

_Bellamy fucking Blake would you finally fucking hear me talking to you.  I need you to get in range and I need you and Clarke to be okay.  And I need you to get her skinny ass back to the Dropship.  Not that she has a skinny ass.  Whatever. We need her to be here at the Dropship like an hour ago.  Not two hours ago because you would have been here for the attack.  But I guess you were there for the attack and you better have fucking survived.  Clarke too, because we need her back here, now. So Bellamy get your and Clarke’s asses back here NOW!_

_Octavia?_ He projected, thoroughly confused by what he was hearing.

 _Thank the fucking gods!  You and Clarke need to get back to the Dropship now.  Like as soon as physically possible.  As in if any time was the time to develop an Ability of superspeed it would be now._ She projected, quickly followed by,  _Fuck, I hope Harper’s okay._

_What happened? What’s the matter?_

_The Mountain Men attacked the Dropship.  They shot Raven.  Abby told me and Murphy how to keep her stable.  But she needs Clarke._

_We’re on our way._

“We’re going to the Dropship,” Bellamy told Clarke and began picking up the pace.

“What happened?” she demanded, all traces of her own problems pushed aside to deal with whatever she was facing now.

“The Mountain attacked the Dropship, too.  They shot Raven.  Left her for dead.”

She stopped dead for a second, shock and worry written all over her face.  She dropped his hand and began running in the direction of the Dropship, setting a pace that they could maintain for a long distance.  _I’m coming for you, Raven.  Don’t you fucking die on me._ He heard her thoughts repeat in a mantra to the pace of her feet.  He couldn’t agree more.


	14. Dealing with the Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raven laughed. “Well, Bellamy and Octavia set out to talk to the grounders about holding up their end of the accord. Exodus has been in touch, but no one wanted to travel there without you as a buffer. Murphy is outside skinning some animal for dinner. And you’ve been playing Sleeping Beauty and I’ve been your invalid overseer.” Her voice turned dry and sour at the end.

Clarke’s legs felt like lead, pounding a path across the forest to get to Raven.  Bellamy easily keeping pace beside her. As soon as she saw the wall around the Dropship she broke into a sprint.  She may have been tired, her legs never having worked so hard in her life, but Raven’s life was on the line and she wasn’t about to let a little thing like her legs stop her.  In her peripherals she was aware that the camp she was blurring past was completely empty.  Devoid of the three dozen or so inhabitants it had grown to accommodate, but that was the next hurdle.  The first, making sure Raven survived.

She skidded to a halt when she arrived next to where Murphy and Octavia had helped Raven lay out.  Raven gave her a weak smile, though the blood-drained complexion made Clarke all the more worried.  “’Bout time you got here, Griffin,” Raven half whispered.

“See if I sprint across another forest to come save your life again, if this is the welcome I get,” Clarke joked weakly.

“You fix me up and I’ll get one of those cars from the garage working, so next time you can just drive to save my ass.”

“Sounds like a deal,” she gave the girl a small smile.  “But remember, I’m only in this for the car.  I’ve always wanted to learn to drive.”

Without further ado, Clarke dove into her Healing river and looked to the problem.  She pulled out immediately.  “I need the bullet out.  I can’t heal her with it still inside; it’ll only cause more problems.”

“Okay, get the bullet out.  What’s the problem?” Murphy demanded.

“I’ve never had to do it before.  If there was ever a problem like this, medical would remove the bullet and what-not.  And if…if I do it wrong it could hurt her, possibly paralyze her since it’s already pressing against her spine.”

Murphy’s face looked stricken, as did Octavia’s and Bellamy’s.  She turned to Raven.  “Do what you got to do,” Raven said, brave as ever.  “I’d just really prefer not to die, especially since you’re standing right here.”

“Can’t you just Heal the paralysis?” Murphy asked, annoyed.

“I’ve never tried something like that.  Doesn’t mean I’m not going to try and do everything I can,” Clarke snapped at him.  She didn’t need someone else adding to the small voice of doubt in the back of her mind.

Bellamy settled a hand on her shoulder.  “He’s just worried; we all are.  We know you’ll do everything you can.”

She gave him a tight smile, looking to him for strength and comfort; something she had been doing more and more frequently as of late.  Reaching up to give his hand a squeeze, she turned back to Raven.  “Alright. Here’s the plan:  make you a bit more stable, so I won’t have to worry about fucking something up.  Get the bullet out.  Then Heal you completely.”

“Aye, aye, Captain,” Raven nodded and Clarke set to work.

The problem in front of her was the most important thing at the moment.  Her own remorse for her actions earlier that day, the people at Exodus, those captured by the Mountain, those were all worries for tomorrow.

After she had completed her first round of Healing, she took a deep breath.  She picked up the scalpel and asked Raven to turn onto her stomach.  Murphy next to her, taking her hand in his.  With the first incision, her Ability screamed at her, asking why she was causing more pain. 

Raven screamed as well. 

“I’m sorry,” Clarke murmured apologies as she dug for the bullet.  She tried to focus only on seeing and feeling, not on Raven’s screams and pain.

 _Breathe, get through it, and she’ll be alright in a minute._ Clarke didn’t know if Bellamy projected that to her or if she thought it herself; either was as likely as the other.

After a millennium, she pulled the bullet free.  As soon as it was set to the side, she dove back into the Healing.  She double-checked the stabilizing efforts she had made before and began the deep Healing, stitching broken vessels and muscles back together.  She felt herself draining—between the attack, the fighting, and the run back to camp, not to mention all the adrenaline wearing off, she didn’t have much energy left—but she kept pushing herself.

She heard someone say something, but didn’t pay any mind.  They repeated themselves more urgently.  _Clarke, stop._ Bellamy projected.  She vaguely felt hands tugging at her.  _Clarke, you’re exhausting yourself.  You already overexerted yourself physically before we got here.  You don’t have the energy to fully Heal her right now._

 _Almost done,_ she shrugged him off, not losing her train of Healing.

She felt herself being wrenched back, breaking her contact with Raven and thus stopping the flow of Healing.  She turned to yell at Bellamy that she wasn’t done, but the world tilted on its axis and the room began to spin.  Her head pounded with the fiercest headache.  She collapsed, her mind vaguely registering Bellamy’s arms catching her before she could fall to the ground.  “But I still have some work on her nerve connections,” she murmured.

“And you could have killed yourself if you kept going.  Maybe I’ll let you try tomorrow.”

“You don’t get to _let_ me do anything.  I can do whatever the hell I want,” she told him vehemently.  But by the smile on his face and the chuckle that reverberated through his chest, she wasn’t sure her tone quite had the edge she intended.

“Sure, Princess.  Whatever the hell you want.  But tomorrow.”

“Tell Raven I blame you.”

“Okay, Princess, just go to sleep.”

She tried to narrow her eyes at him, but only succeeded in closing them and falling into a deep sleep.

 

...

 

“Welcome back to the land of the living,” Raven greeted dryly as Clarke blinked her eyes open.

“How long have I been out?”

“A little over a day.”

“A full day!” Clarke sat up abruptly.  She regretted it as soon as she did, as the world began to spin.

“You needed it.  And Bellamy basically threatened to tear anyone’s head off who tried to wake you up.”

“I’m going to fucking kill him.  My sleep isn’t as important as making sure you’re okay or the people at Exodus or those in the Mountain.  Oh my god, the Mountain.”

Raven laughed.  “Well, Bellamy and Octavia set out to talk to the grounders about holding up their end of the accord.  Exodus has been in touch, but no one wanted to travel there without you as a buffer.  Murphy is outside skinning some animal for dinner.  And you’ve been playing Sleeping Beauty and I’ve been your invalid overseer.”  Her voice turned dry and sour at the end. 

Clarke closed her eyes and took a breath to steady herself.  So she had been right, partial paralysis. She knew it was a possibility.  “I’ll fix it, Raven.  Don’t worry.  Just let me get something to eat and drink, hopefully get rid of this headache and I’ll fix it.”

“And risk having Bellamy murder me for real because you’re asleep for another day?  Nah, I’m alive.  That’s what counts.  Exhausted and probably couldn’t rewire a walkie talkie using my Ability right now, but alive.  You can do it in a few days.  What do I usually do anyways? Just sit around and work on life improvements on the Dropship.  I’ll be fine.”

“It might not take that much out of me; it’s just a few nerve connections,” Clarke insisted.

“And it might take a lot.  Remember last time you Healed something you hadn’t before?  The poison?  I’d rather have you at top Abilities in case something worse happens.”

“I know you’re upset.  You know you don’t have to just shrug this off, right?”

Raven shot her a wry smile.  “But I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t.  Plus, I’d much rather take out my anger on Mount Weather and the soldiers who shot me than the person whom I would be dead without.”

“Okay, I’ll drop it for now.  I’m going to go find food, you want anything?”

“Could you lend me a shoulder, so I can go sit by Murphy and tell him he’s skinning the animal wrong?”

Clarke laughed, apparently even partial paralysis couldn’t hold Raven back.  “Of course.”

 

* * *

 

 

Octavia had wandered off to find Lincoln as soon as they had entered the village, leaving Bellamy to talk to the Lexa alone.  Her reasoning, “She’d probably only talk to you or Clarke about this anyway; I’m not a leader.”  Bellamy had tried to protest before he realized she was probably right.

And thus he waited not so patiently for the Commander to show her face.  They needed the grounders to get their people out of Mount Weather.  Help in the times of conflict was part of the accord, and if kidnapping half their people wasn’t a time of conflict Bellamy was going to have more than a few choice words for the Commander.

 “Where’s Clarke?” was the greeting he got from Lexa as she entered the room with the air of authority that constantly surrounded her.

Bellamy tried not to grind his teeth.  Of course that would be the first thing Lexa cared about.  “We had an exhausting day yesterday; she’s resting and taking care of our people,” he said, fudging the truth a little.

“Pity,” she replied airily.  “What is it you want, Bellamy of the Sky People.  I assume it has something to do with the attack by the Mountain.”

It was no surprise she would already know about that; a peace accord wasn’t going to stop her keeping an eye on the new people.  He nodded once, “It does.  We are calling upon the accordance for your help in the matter.  You have more knowledge of the Mountain and more warriors to help get our people out.”

“Many have tried and failed to go against the Mountain.  What makes you think this is more than a fool’s errand?”

“Are you going back on your word to help in times of conflict?” Bellamy accused, knowing it would get a rise out of the prideful commander.

Her face revealed nothing, but he still felt her flash of anger.  “No.  But I will not send my warriors into a situation that will result only in their deaths.  The Mountain has taken people from us before.  We have yet to successfully get any of them back.”  He caught a glimpse of remorse associated with a specific person who had been taken by the Mountain, but Lexa quickly moved onto other thoughts.

“The difference is that we have technology too. You’ve tried to go up against them with your swords and spears.  We are familiar with their guns and shock batons and we have people who can understand the technology they have inside the Mountain.”

“And how do you propose getting inside the Mountain in the first place?”

“Is that your way of saying you will help us?”

“We are people of our words.  We agreed to help when we came to the accordance.  I simply expect you to uphold your half and disperse some of your Gifted once your people are free of the Mountain.”

“We are people of our words as well.”

“That is good to hear,” she smiled.  “Speaking of your people.  How is the Council, as you call them?  My scouts have noticed some conflict between your group and the others that came down.”

Bellamy made an effort to keep his face expressionless; it took considerable effort when his mind strayed to the shocklash incident.  “We have not always seen eye to eye with the Council and the decisions they make.  But we have been doing all we can to ensure they will uphold the peace and accordance. It is in the best interest of both our people and yours and we will make sure they understand that.”

“See that you do,” Lexa said magnanimously.  “We will hold a war council several days hence to prepare our strategy. I expect to see you and Clarke, as well as your Council.  However, if you cannot convince them of the agreement you, Clarke, and I have come to by then, be prepared to either separate yourselves from them and uphold the accordance or stand with them and see it break.”  Between the look she leveled him with and the accompanying emotions, Bellamy had no doubt in the truth of her threat.  She smiled, when he nodded his understanding.  “I will send a rider once I have gathered my war chiefs.” She stood up to leave.  “Oh, and tell Clarke I missed her today.”

Bellamy’s frown followed her out of the room.

...

 

As soon as he was back at the Dropship, Bellamy settled himself next to Clarke where she was roasting their dinner, she looked over at him with a small glare.  “You had no right to tell them not to wake me up.  There are things to be done.  I can’t just sleep the day away when our people are captured by Mount Weather.  Not to mention the injured at Exodus that could have used my help today.”

“You’re in no state to Heal several dozen injured at Exodus,” he reprimanded.

“Even if I didn’t use my Ability, they still could have used the help.  I would have gone by myself if I wasn’t waiting to hear about how your surreptitious talk with the grounders went.”

“It was not ‘surreptitious,’ you were dead asleep in the middle of the day.” She gave him an accusing look.  He shook his head.  “We’ll go tomorrow.  Is that good enough?”

She scoffed, “I was already planning to go tomorrow with or without you.”

He couldn’t stop his smile.  “Of course you were.”

“So, how did the talk with Lexa go?  I have to ask because you took it upon yourself to go without me,” she added as if he didn’t already know what her issue with it was.

Bellamy snorted, thinking about Lexa’s comments.  “She would have much preferred it if you had come today.”

“What do you mean by that?”  She gave him a puzzled look.

“Nothing important,” he shrugged, not willing to give her an explanation.  Especially since it would probably involve him having to address certain _things_ he didn’t particularly want to put into words yet. “She’s a little iffy on the Council, though.  She wants to meet with them and said she’d be in contact about a war council.”

She sighed at the inevitable.  “She doesn’t have to meet them tomorrow, right? We can talk to the Council first?  At least try to make sure they’re on the same page as us in regards to the relations with the grounders?”

Bellamy smothered a laugh.  “‘Try’ being the operative word.  But yes, it wouldn’t be for another few days.”

“More things to look forward to,” she smiled tightly.  She rubbed at her temples.  “Okay, the meeting.  Give me a full run down.”

 

* * *

 

 

The first thing Monty noticed was the smell.  Where he had gotten used to waking up to the scent of woods and dirt, now his nose was assaulted by something sterile, almost like the medical wing of the Ark.  He slowly opened his eyes and was greeted by a starkly white room.  His breath quickened as he realized this wasn’t a dream or a memory of the Ark.  Memories flashed past his eyes: Miller worried about a group of people coming toward the Dropship, red smoke filling camp, people panicking.

He sat up and quickly looked around for any answers to one of the hundreds of questions that were running through his mind.  What happened?  Where was he?  Where was everyone else?  _Okay,_ he told himself, _get out of this room, find the others._  Step one and step two.  The rest he would worry about once he knew everyone else was okay.

A pale girl with curly brown hair walks into his room and smiles sweetly.  “Oh good, you’re up.  Your friends will be so happy.”

“Where am I?” he demanded.

“Mount Weather Survival Facility.  Our scouts saw you fighting with the Outsiders and thought you would be safer inside here with us.”

“Outsiders?  Oh, you mean the grounders.  But we came to an agreement with them; we made peace.”

The girl looked shocked.  “Oh, well, um…do you want to come see your friends?  I’m sure they’d love to see you.  They’re in the dining hall.”

Monty nodded and followed her out of the room, curiously looking at his surroundings.  He was inside Mount Weather and they weren’t trying to kill him.  He kept his guard up anyway.

“I’m Maya, by the way,” the girl turned to smile at him.

“Monty,” he replied.  He figured playing nice would get him more answers than hostility.  “So you grew up here?”

“Yup. We uh, we can’t go outside.  Our bodies never adapted for radiation like the Outsiders.  Or you.  We die if we go outside without a hazmat suit.  And only a special team are trained for that.”

“So, you’ve never felt the sun on your face?  The feel of grass on your feet?”

“We have our greenhouse.  It has artificial sunlight to help our plants grow for food.”

Monty chuckled.  “Sounds like Agro back on the Ark.  But trust me, the real sun is a thousand times better.”

“Except that it would kill me,” she said matter-of-factly; a reality of her life that she accepted and wasn’t bothered by.  “Oh, look.  There are your friends,” she pointed toward a group of people he recognized from the Dropship’s camp. 

“Thanks, Maya.  It was good meeting you,” he told her.

“You too, Monty,” she smiled at him as he hurried toward where he had spotted Nate and Jasper.

“Thank the gods you’re okay,” Nate sighed as he sat down next to them.

Monty smiled at him.  “I’m glad you’re okay too,” he reached over and gave Nate’s hand a quick squeeze of reassurance.  “Both of you,” he added looking at Jasper who was staring after Maya.

“She’s pretty, isn’t she?” Jasper turned back to the other men with a happy smile.  “Nice, too.”

Monty chuckled.  “You would like the first girl we talk to in enemy territory.”

“She’s not the enemy.  She’s nice.  She gave me her chocolate cake at lunch.”

“Should have known the way to your heart was through your sweet tooth,” Monty joked.

Nate chuckled.  “Well, Jasper’s definitely okay.  Are you sure you are?  You had me—us worried, taking so long to come from where they were holding us.”

“Physically fine,” Monty assured him.  “Not a huge fan of being stuck inside the Mountain and not just because I’m pretty sure chocolate cake isn’t the only thing they have planned for us.  I’d kind of grown used to having plants within reach,” he laughed.  “Pun not intended.”

Nate returned his joke with a tight, worried smile.  “I can get you outside if it’s bad.”

Monty smiled, but shook his head.  “Bad would be having the bracelet on again.  Though, speaking of your Ability, why haven’t you Phased yourself out of here yet?”

“No way in hell was I going to leave you in here,” he said vehemently. “Any of you,” he added. “Especially not knowing their motivations yet.  I can only take one person with me at a time and getting the hundred or so of our people out of here would definitely draw a bit of attention.”

“Do we even know that their motivations are sinister?” Jasper asked.  “Did I mention the chocolate cake?”

“I just don’t trust them.  They were more than ready to kill us when we came in here to steal guns.  Plus, I’m sure _someone_ would recognize me or at least know that we’re from the same people who made the heist, but no one has said anything about it.”

“Maya didn’t know that we made peace with the grounders; so the citizens are at least getting fed the story that they’re our rescuers,” Monty added.

“But how do you know that _they_ know about the accord?” Jasper protested.

Monty shook his head.  “If they knew we landed and were fighting the grounders, I’m pretty sure they’re up to date on the other things we have been doing.”

Nate nodded his agreement.  “I talked to some of these kids and they were from Exodus.  The Mountain simultaneously raided both of our camps.  And from Exodus they only took people who had a bracelet.  They knew the significance of it.”

“So what do they want with our Abled?”

Jasper pouted.  “You’re both being Pessimistic Pollys.  You’re making me doubt the chocolate cake.  I just want to believe someone _doesn’t_ want us dead.  First the Ark and the Council, then the grounders, now you’re saying these people, too.”

Nate tried not to look to guilty piling onto Jasper’s doubt.  “If they thought their cause was so noble, why didn’t they just ask us if we wanted to come live inside the Mountain?  Why use knock out gas?”

Monty nodded.  “I’m with Nate on this one.  But I don’t think we should try anything too drastic until we know what they’re up to.  And have a plan.  It’s not worth risking their ire if we can’t successfully make it out of the Mountain.”

“Let’s get to know what resources we do have,” Nate nodded toward the other Arkers who were milling about.

“I don’t want to freak anyone out yet, though.  So maybe don’t say anything about our suspicions yet,” Monty added.

“Yeah, we don’t need any more Paranoid Penelopes,” Jasper nodded.

 

* * *

 

 

“Remind me why we all had to come along, again,” Murphy complained as the group came into sight of the Exodus.

“Because they can probably use all the help they can get.  Even if it comes from you,” she shot him a teasing smile.

“Just be happy she isn’t making _you_ go with her to meet the Council.  I almost strangled Diana Sidney last time, I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop a second time,” Bellamy complained.

“You know I could technically go and talk to them alone, if you really don’t want to come,” Clarke told him.

“No, no.  It’s fine, I’ll come,” he grumbled.  Clarke couldn’t help the small smile that rose on her cheeks. She really didn’t understand this man sometimes.

“Weapons,” Bryne said dryly in greeting.

“You have got to be kidding me,” Clarke returned.  “Do you not recall what happened here a few days ago?”

“Law is law.  Either you hand over your weapons or you don’t come into our camp.”

“And if we refuse and still come into your camp?” Bellamy asked.

“Then I arrest you,” Bryne shrugged. “So please, Blake, I’ve been dying to see you put back in your place since we landed.”

“Leave it, Bryne,” Kane stepped in.  “I’ll let this group pass on account of recent events.  If anyone has a problem, send them to see me.”

“As you command, Councilman,” Bryne ground out through her teeth, clearly not happy with the overturn of the law.

The group stepped past Bryne, half of them shooting her a victorious smile as they walked into camp. 

“Anywhere specific you want them, Kane?” Clarke asked.

“I’m pretty sure an extra pair of hands would be welcomed anywhere at this point; everyone’s a bit on edge still.  Though I know Sinclair will be looking for you, Raven,” he nodded.  “Glad to see you’re still with us.”

Raven beamed at him.  “Takes a little more than a bullet to stop me.  Well, as long as this one is nearby,” she nodded her head at Clarke.  “She even got me up and walking today.”

“Hey, I believe there was talk of a car or a rover or something for my troubles,” Clarke teased in return.  She had spent half the night reading the medical texts from the file on Raven’s tablet, trying to better understand nerve connections in an effort to make sure the last bit of Healing for Raven wouldn’t be too difficult.  She could definitely go for a several hour long nap, especially after that hike.  But seeing Raven beaming and confidently walking toward where Sinclair was working was more than worth the slight bit of exhaustion.

“As soon as I find a decent one to work with, you’ve got it,” Raven called over her shoulder on her way toward the ship.

 “I’ll be in med bay,” Octavia announced.  By the eye roll she got from Bellamy, Clarke assumed she added something to him.

“I’ll…” Murphy looked around the camp, “go make myself useful,” he settled on walking to the side of the ship.

 _And we get to go talk to a bunch of bigoted assholes,_ Bellamy projected to her.

Clarke snorted a laugh and the two of them followed Kane into the ship.

As they took their seats and the members of the Council drifted in, Clarke shot Bellamy a look out of the corner of her eye.  _Here’s to hoping this goes better than last time._

_I’m not holding my breath._

“Alright, let us begin,” Jaha began.

“Where’s Callie?” Clarke asked, startled to see one of the members missing.

Clarke’s mom pursed her lips.  “Callie was killed in the attack,” she explained.  “Seventeen killed in total.  Thirty-four others sustained injuries and are in med bay.”

“And how many missing?” Bellamy asked.

“Around fifty mutants, give or take,” Diana answered.

“Fifty-four,” Kane corrected.  “Fifty-four, all Abled, were taken.”

“Makes sense.  I heard the Mountain Men saying to take those with bracelets and that the others were expendable,” Bellamy informed them.

“What do they want with the Abled?” Abby asked.

“Same thing we’ve been trying to figure out for the past couple days.  Lexa said this is far from the first time the Mountain has raided and taken people.”

“That is far from comforting,” Kane responded.

“So, what are we going to do about it?” Clarke asked the group, bringing them back to the purpose of this meeting.  “Bellamy already ensured the grounders help if and when this comes to an attack.  They are prepared to meet with all of us to form a plan of attack in a few days’ time.”

“You talked to the grounders without us?” Diana snarled.  “Again?”

“And what kind of relationship do you have with them?” Bellamy replied snidely.  “Oh wait, you don’t have one.”

Clarke overrode whatever Diana was about to say in return.  “I think they will follow our lead on this because it is our people in the Mountain.  So, I think it best we come up with a plan before we meet with them.”

“Do we even need to get those mutants back?” Diana asked, not even trying to hide her distain.  “They were just extra weight on our hands anyway.”

Clarke gaped at the woman, ready to throttle her. 

Bellamy was just as tense next to her.  _Are you sure I’m not allowed to strangle her?_

 _I’m actually fucking considering letting you,_ Clarke returned.

“We barely have a foothold in this community,” Diana added.  “Do we want to risk making an enemy of one of the main players in this area?”

“It is a valid question,” Jaha nodded thoughtfully.

“No it isn’t!” Clarke burst.  “They’re our people!”

“I have to agree with Clarke on this one,” Abby stepped in.  “If we don’t make an effort to get back our people now, the rest will think that we believe them to be just as expendable.  Especially with emotions running as high as they are now, we don’t want people thinking the worst of us.”

“ _That’s_ your problem with what they said?” Clarke stared at her mother.

“No, honey, you’re misunderstanding me.  I agree that we should try to get them back.”

“Yeah, no.  Not the part I was questioning you on,” Clarke leveled.

Bellamy looked around the table, ending on Diana Sidney.  “Do you not want to have Abled in your community?”  Diana answered with a vehement yes, the other’s protested the accusation.  “Because I will tell you exactly what will happen if we take all the Abled into our camp or create a new one with them.  Yes, you will still likely be able to get by and survive without them even though it would be easier with them in your community.  But half the accord with the grounders specifically refers to our Abled.  So, if they are not part of your community, you will have to come to a second agreement with the Commander.  And honestly, I think our number of Abled was more than half the reason she agreed to align herself with us in the first place.

“And if you don’t manage to get an accordance with them, there is no guarantee that the clans will not see you as a threat or imposition on them or their land.  Clarke will likely still try to help you, because have you met her?  She doesn’t know when to give up.” Clarke felt herself blushing under his praise.  “But how many other Abled do you think will still think you worthy of their time if you deem them not worthy of yours?” He turned to look each of the council members in the eye.

“If you had just let me speak, I would have argued on your side,” Kane smiled at the younger man.  “No need for the dramatic monologue.”

“I am on your side as well,” Abby reiterated.

Clarke turned her gaze on Jaha and Diana.  “Let me put this in terms you might understand.  Lexa is the Commander.  She is not the leader of the Trikru clan on whose territory we landed, she is the leader of the _twelve_ clans.  She commands thousands of people.  The Mountain is a single community locked into one mountain.  They have already attacked us and obviously mean us harm.  You say you don’t want to make an enemy of them?  Ask anyone walking around this camp and most will say that they already are.  The grounders are a strong ally who will help us not only get our people back from the Mountain, but will help us survive.  If you honestly still believe that we would be better off not rescuing the people in Mount Weather and solidifying our alliance with the grounders, I am prepared to meet with Lexa and inform her that we are separating from you.”

“I will not bow to your empty threats, mutant,” Diana snarled.

Clarke met her gaze with an icy stare.  “They are far from empty.  I will stand for my people and I will not let anyone, not even the Council, stop me from doing so.”

Jaha chuckled, surprising everyone.  He looked at her with a sad look in his eye.  “I’m pretty sure my son said those exact words to me.” He took a deep breath.  “You have your wish, Clarke.  We are behind you.  Let us begin our discussion of _how_ were going to get those kids out of the Mountain.”  

Clarke sighed and settled further into her chair.  This was going to be long day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact: when I wrote "Jaha chuckled, surprising everyone." I was included in that number because according to the notes I had written for this chapter a long time this meeting with the Council was supposed to have a lot more yelling and dramatics...maybe they're finally seeing reason???


	15. How to Bring Down a Mountain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Shall we begin the war council?” Lexa proposed.  
> “Let’s,” Abby said as she moved to take one of the remaining seats at the round table.

Jasper sat in the room full of bunkbeds designated for the Arkers, quietly watching Monty and Miller converse.  It had been a while since he had seen his best friend with a crush, and it definitely looked like Miller returned it.  There was no way Jasper could miss Monty’s continued use of Miller’s first name or Miller’s smile every time Monty called him “Nate,” let alone the small touches that weren’t fooling anyone.

Harper and Monroe slid onto the bunk next to him, catching the other two men’s attention as well.  “Are you going to call us crazy if we say we don’t trust the Mountain Men?  They’re being nice and all, took off the rest of everyone’s bracelets, gave us this room, have kick ass food, and all that.  But the whole knock-out gas, not acknowledging that the rest of our people are out there, it’s a little sketchy,” Monroe announced.

“Seriously, if they think they’re rescuing us from the grounders, why did they leave over half of our people out there?  Why did they take only Abled?” Harper added. 

“Great, more Paranoid Penelopes,” Jasper moaned.  He did see their point, don’t get him wrong. But he wanted to believe the best in people and Maya was being so nice to them, to him.  She couldn’t possibly have a nefarious ulterior motive.

“Not crazy,” Miller replied to the two girls.  “We’ve been discussing the same thing.”

“You haven’t talked to anyone else about this yet, right?  We don’t want anyone to panic, at least not until we can find a way out of this,” Monty said.

“No,” Harper shook her head.  “We figured you were the people to bring it up to, kind of the leader faction of the Abled.”  She shrugged and blushed a little.  “Everyone kind of looks up to the eight of you who were on the original Dropship.”

Jasper cracked a laugh.  “All of us?  Not just Clarke and Bellamy? You look up to me?”

“To Murphy?” Monty asked, flabbergasted.

Harper shrugged and nodded.  “You guys aren’t afraid of the Council or the grounders or the Mountain, for that matter.”

“A bunch of criminals,” Miller chuckled.  “We’re great role models.”

Monroe rolled her eyes.  “Whatever.  It’s not like it took much to be labeled a criminal.  So, do you have any ideas on how we can get out of here or at least figure out what they want from us.”

“First, we should probably assume, Clarke and Bellamy are worrying about us and figuring out a way to talk to and rescue us.  They’re definitely the worrying parents to all their adopted Abled babies.”

Harper started laughing.  “What?”

“It’s true,” Monty supported his theory; they had already discussed it in length.  “Once they choose to care about you, you’re stuck, they’re responsible for you.  And they don’t like anything happening to their people.”

“How hard do you think it would be to cover for me if I disappeared for a couple hours?” Miller asked abruptly.

“What?  Where are you going?” Monty asked, Jasper easily detected the worry in his voice.

Miller snuck a subtle hand squeeze where his and Monty’s hands were resting near each other’s on the bunk.  “I’m thinking that I might be able to sneak out of here and at the very least let Clarke and Bellamy know that we’re not hurt or dead.  Assuming you guys could cover my absence for the time.”

Monty nodded.  “Maybe we should wait until we actually have something more to say to them.  I’d bet they’re already working under the assumption we’re alive.  I don’t think we should risk it unless we have new information to give them.”

“How are going to get out of here?  Could you take the rest of us with you?” Harper asked eagerly.

“I’m a Phaser.  But I can only take one person with me at a time and it would take too long and get too suspicious for me to keep going back and forth with the hundred that are in here.”

“Not to mention, too exhausting,” Monty added, then quietly, “Are you coming back?”

“Definitely.  I’m not leaving any of you here.  Plus, it might set the Mountain Men off if I just up and disappear.”

Monty nodded his agreement before looking to the doorway at a noise.  He kicked Jasper’s shin and shot him a teasing smile.  “Someone’s looking for you.”  He nodded his head to gesture at Maya who had just walked into the room.

Jasper immediately broke into a smile.  Maya was definitely the bright light in all the shadows Miller and Monty were pointing to.  “Yeah, she said she wanted to show me her favorite place.”

He got up to greet Maya. “Hi,” she smiled shyly.  “You ready to go?”

“Yup,” he replied happily.  No matter what anyone else said, meeting Maya was _not_ an unhappy circumstance.

 

...

 

The next few days passed without much ado.  No suspicious moves made by the Mountain, just chocolate cake and hanging out with Maya. Two things he didn’t want to give up any time in the future.  He was eating lunch with Monty and Miller, per usual, when a girl who couldn’t be more than thirteen shyly walked up to them.  “Can I sit here?” she asked, looking at him.

“Of course,” he smiled.

“What’s up, Katie?” Miller asked.  He was clearly next in line for the parent of their group.  Jasper, for one, had a hard time keeping all the names straight.

“I, um…you know how I have super-hearing?”

Monty nodded encouragingly.

“Well, I overheard some of the Mountain People talking.  They were talking about us, our blood.”

“Do you remember exactly what they said?” Miller asked.

Katie sat up straighter, looking more confident now that they were interested in what she had to say.  “One said, ‘We couldn’t figure out their Power from their blood.  We need a different way.’ And then the other said, ‘Can’t you just inject it into someone and see what happens?’  And then the first, this one was a woman, said, ‘We don’t know if that would work yet or how our bodies would even react.  I need to run more tests before I’m willing to try it.’  Then the man told her, ‘Inject it in one of our other pets first.  We just got a new batch.  See what happens.’”

The three men exchanged concerned looks.  Whatever the Mountain wanted from them, it had to do with their Powers and blood.  Jasper reluctantly admitted he couldn’t hide from their suspicions anymore.

“Thanks for letting us know, Katie,” Monty told her.

“Why do they want to test our blood?” she asked in a small, scared voice.

Monty put his arm around the little girl.  “We don’t know yet, but we’re going to figure it out.  We won’t let them hurt you.”

“We promise,” Jasper assured her.

“And you’ve never seen Jasper use his Ability,” Miller told her.  “But he can get pretty scary himself.”

Katie looked Jasper up and down.  “Are you sure?” she asked Miller skeptically.

“Definitely.”

Monty gave her a smile.  “Don’t go looking or listening for more conversations like this.  I don’t want you getting in trouble.  But if you do hear something, you let us know, okay?”  Katie nodded.  “Now, do you want some of Jasper’s fruit tart?”

“Hey!” Jasper exclaimed, but Monty silenced him with a look.  He relented, “Yeah, do you want some of my fruit tart?  It’s really delicious.”

“I’m okay, I had chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast.  Thanks, though.” Katie smiled at him before jumping up and trotting off to where her friends were leaving the dining hall.  “I’ll let you know if I hear anything else.”

“So, I think we figured out something worthy of me sneaking out to Bellamy and Clarke,” Miller said as soon as she was out of ear-shot, not that it would do much good if Katie decided she wanted to listen in.

“Agreed,” Monty replied.  “We’ll get Harper and Monroe and try to get you out of here this evening.”

 

* * *

 

 

Bellamy didn’t know which was worse, walking through Exodus’s camp or the grounder village.  Both were ripe with wary looks. At Exodus half the people eyed him for being a notorious criminal and the other half would mutter about the Abled being the reason the Mountain attacked.  It may have been true to an extent, but it was hardly the Abled’s fault.  And then in the grounder village almost everyone was distrustful of the Sky People.  Sure, they respected people with Abilities, and their Commander had spoken well of his and Clarke’s Gifts, but people were still suspicious.

He reigned his thoughts back to focus on the war council that was about to commence.  He looked up as they were led into the building in which Lexa and her war chiefs were waiting.

“Clarke, it is good to see you.  I am glad you are feeling up to joining us today,” Lexa greeted as the two of them led the Council into the room.  “Bellamy, happy to see you again, as well,” she added.  Bellamy tried not to be too offended at being the afterthought.  He more so didn’t like the pointed comment on Clarke’s absence from their previous meeting.  “And this must be your Council.”

“Chancellor Thelonius Jaha and Council members Abigail Griffin, Marcus Kane, and Diana Sidney,” Clarke informed her.

Instead of introducing her war chiefs, Lexa narrowed her eyes at the Council.  “But only one of them is Gifted.  Why would your people allow Un-Gifted to lead?  Should you not use all your available resources to their best advantage?”

Clarke immediately shot him a look which he returned in kind and began skimming the Council members’ thoughts.  And then he heard it:  Kane.  _Well, there goes years of strategically hiding my Ability._

 _Kane,_ he dutifully told Clarke.  She looked at him wide-eyed in disbelief.

Jaha clearly didn’t believe Lexa either.  “I assure you.  None of the members of the Council are Abled.”

“And I assure _you_ , he has the Gift of controlling metal,” she gestured at Kane.  “It is my Gift to know the Gifts of others.”

Clarke shot Bellamy a mischievous grin.  _How pissed are Diana and Jaha right now?_

He suppressed a bubble of laughter.  _Definitely a little thrown by the revelation.  Diana’s already plotting to have Kane arrested for an unregistered Ability._

 _Figures,_ she scoffed.

Jaha was fumbling for a reply, not wanting to let this slide, but not wanting to draw the grounders’ attention to it either.

“Shall we begin the war council?” Lexa proposed.

“Let’s,” Abby said as she moved to take one of the remaining seats at the round table.

“This isn’t over, Marcus,” Bellamy heard Jaha mutter to Kane as the rest of them followed Abby’s lead.  Bellamy found himself between Clarke and Anya, the latter woman shooting him a hard look of distrust. 

Lexa settled her hands on the table.  “The first thing I would like to address is the recent raid on one of Dephi clan’s hunting parties.  They were making camp for the night when the Mountain attacked them, killing one and taking five others.  As the war chiefs know, this type of raid is not uncommon, but with the help of the Sky People, I am hoping that this will be the last of its kind.”

One of her war chiefs spoke, “You say good things of these Sky People, that they will help us take down the Mountain, but you, yourself, have just said that they are not led by Gifted.  What advantages do they offer us, that we do not have already?  Why will this time be different?”

Lexa looked at him impassively.  “They must have their reason for so many un-Gifted acting as their leaders, but I know that Clarke and Bellamy and the people with whom they came are formidable foes, as Anya could tell you,” the woman in question looked angry at being mentioned in such a capacity.  “I know they have other warriors and Gifted who will allow us this thing of which we had only imagined.”

“Not only do we have a larger number of Abled than you, though many of them were taken by the Mountain, but we also have a better understanding of technology, a thing on which the Mountain Men rely,” Bellamy stated.

“As I understand it, you either do not have guns or will not use them,” Jaha inputted.  “We have those as well, and are well-trained in armed combat.”

 _Not helping, Jaha._ Clarke thought.  _They don’t care about our guns or fighting capabilities; that isn’t something new we’re bringing to the table._

He wasn’t sure if the thought was directed at him or not, but he replied anyway.  _How obvious would we be if we overrode the Council every time they tried to speak?_

She smiled a little.  _I don’t know.  But I’m willing to try it if they’re going to continue being so unhelpful._

“We know armed combat,” Anya returned, sounding offended.  “We do not need your help or knowledge of that.  What we need is to know how your ‘understanding’ of technology is going to make the difference in this fight.”

Clarke jumped in before someone else could.  “Yes, the Mountain Men use guns,” she nodded to Jaha in attempt to placate him.  “But from what you have told us and what we experienced, they have knock-out gas canisters, they control the acid fog, and utilize other technology with which the members of the Ark would be more familiar than you.”

“What good is this knowledge if you cannot get into the Mountain to where they control and manipulate it?” another war chief asked mockingly.

“Bellamy and several others have already successfully gotten into and out of the Mountain before,” Clarke mentioned as if it was no big deal; the war chiefs looked subtly yet appropriately awed by the feat.

Only Anya remained unimpressed.  “And how likely are you going to be able to do this a second time?  Returning with not only your people, but ours as well?”

“I wouldn’t use the same entrance,” Bellamy admitted, thinking that the Mountain likely increased their security measures on the garage entrance.  “And one of the key people of the heist is now inside the Mountain,” he reluctantly added.

 _Raven!_ Clarke thought excitedly.  _We used Miller to Phase through, but Raven could unlock!_

Bellamy nodded to her.  _Exactly what I was thinking.  Do you want to tell them or should I?_

_Should I add Kane? Because Raven could get one door, Kane, who can apparently metal bend, another. I don’t know if I want to add to that mess, though._

He skimmed the others in the room.  _I wouldn’t.  Kane’s already thinking it, as is Lexa.  But Diana and Jaha are already liabilities in this meeting and still pissed about Kane.  We don’t need either of them exploding at a second mention of Kane’s Ability._

 _Gotcha._ Clarke nodded and turned to each of the people at the table as she spoke.  “Our greatest asset in this infiltration of the Mountain will be one of our Abled; she has technokinetic Abilities and is all around brilliant.  Any electronic locks will be no problem for her and once inside, we just need to get her to a control panel and she can take down any technology-based systems.”

“I have not met this member of your people,” Lexa mused.

Clarke shook her head.  “No, but she’s pretty pissed at the Mountain, and even if she wasn’t, I know she’d still do whatever it takes to get our people, and yours, free.”

“Are you saying all our plans rest on Raven Reyes? She’s a mutant and a criminal,” Diana sniped.

 _Seriously, why did we bring them?  Especially her?_ Clarke asked him.

_Any time you want me to strangle her just give the word._

_I’ll keep you posted._

He nodded with a small smile as Kane responded to Diana.  “Raven Reyes will be an immeasurable help for this.  But we have other fighters and Abled who will help.  Did the Chancellor not just mention the training and weaponry that we have at our disposal?  While technology will play a part, it is not the only obstacle we will face.”

“I would still like more information on their technology, the layout of the Mountain, anything,” Abby ventured.  “We can make all the theoretical plans we want, but if we cannot see a practical use for them, it’ll all be for naught.”

“Agreed,” Lexa said.  “Do you have any technology or Gifted who would be a means on contacting someone already inside or listening in?  Bellamy, how far do your Gifts extend?”

 _Just keep it cryptic._ Clarke told him, not needing his Ability to know that he didn’t like how blatantly close Lexa came to telling the Council what exactly he could do.  _But worst case scenario, just because they know what you can do, doesn’t mean they can stop you from doing it.  Gods know I’ve tried to keep you out of my head,_ she teased.

He suppressed a laugh and replied to Lexa.  “I’m not sure at what distance I would be able to hear them.  And I’d rather not be caught for easy picking because I’m sitting right outside their walls.”

“Pity. You would have been a great asset.”

The talks proceeded, running around in circles, always coming back to the need of more information before they could plan something solid.  Everyone was getting tired and snippy when Lexa finally called the meeting to a close.

Just when everyone was getting up to leave, Lexa sent a thought his way.  _It was a pleasure to see you and Clarke working together, a truly remarkable use of your Gift.  You have chosen your partner well.  Though, to be honest, I wish I had somehow met her first._

He didn’t think she meant to send the last bit, but with or without it, he wasn’t sure how exactly to respond.  _Thank you_ , he managed to send back, choosing not to correct her statement or its implications.

“What’s up?” Clarke eyed him in concern as moved toward the door.

“Huh?  What?  Nothing,” Bellamy flustered, hoping he wasn’t blushing or if he was, that Clarke couldn’t tell.

She cocked her head at him, “Okay, fine,” she relented, but he knew that she was still curious.  “Can we go home?  I don’t want to look at the Council again until we have our next meeting.”

Bellamy laughed heartily as they exited the building.  “Couldn’t agree more.”

 

* * *

 

They were walking back to the Dropship and Clarke wanted nothing more than to fall onto her cot and sleep.  Bellamy looked like he felt the same.  Talking war plans was more exhausting than she had anticipated.  She had never been more grateful for their decision to go back to the Dropship rather than return to Exodus like her mother wanted. 

Clarke was looking around at the surrounding landmarks, trying to gauge how much further they had to go, when Bellamy stopped abruptly.

“What is it?” she asked, concerned.

“Miller,” he replied distractedly.  “He’s calling out to me.”

“From inside the Mountain?  I didn’t know you could hear that far.”

“No, he’s out.  He wants to talk.  We’re still a little bit out of range for me to reply.  I can hear him, but he can’t hear me.”

“What are we waiting for?  Lead the way.”

Bellamy took off in the direction that would eventually lead to Mount Weather.  Before long she saw him nodding along to a conversation.

“Well, what is he saying?” she demanded.

Bellamy chuckled.  “He doesn’t like Phasing through meters and meters of solid rock.”

She waited a few seconds.  Watching Bellamy converse with Miller and having no idea what was going on was one of the most frustrating things.  “Is he alone?  How many people are with him?”

“He’s by himself and he’ll be going back after he talks with us.”

“What? Why?”

“He doesn’t want to leave Monty and the others there by themselves, especially if he can get in and out and help us communicate.”

Clarke made a face.  She didn’t like it.  She could see the advantage, and they had been talking about how to get more information from inside the Mountain, but Miller was one of her people.  She didn’t like seeing him in more potential danger than he already was.  She opened her mouth to say something else.

“We’ll just meet up with him, so you can talk to him, too.  This whole relaying everything one of you says to the other is going to get old fast.  It shouldn’t be too far.”

True to his word, it wasn’t too long before she caught sight of their friend.  “Thank the gods!  Miller are you alright? Let me check you over.  Come here.”

Miller chuckled a little.  “I’m good, Clarke.  Or as good as can be expected.”

She ignored him and grabbed his head as she dove towards her Healing river, scanning his entire body for any sign of an ailment.  “Okay.  You’re physically fine,” she settled back into her own space.  “How is everyone else?  Anyone hurt?  What does the Mountain want?”

“Slow your roll.  Everyone is fine for now.  It’s weird.  They’re treating us like we’re new members to their society; all their people are under the impression they rescued us from ‘the Outsiders,’ which is what they call grounders.  There’s one thing though.  One of the younger girls, Katie, she has super-hearing and she overheard two people talking about figuring out our Abilities.  They said they couldn’t tell what they are just from our blood.  We don’t know why they want to know or what they’re planning, but we’re working on it.  She’s young, but brave.  We told her to keep it to herself and let us know if she hears anything else.”

 “That’s good.  We were talking about how to get inside information,” Bellamy nodded, but Clarke could still read the anxiousness in his eyes.  “So, no chance you can get everyone out through Phasing?”

“It would take too long.  I can only take one person with me at a time.  The Mountain Men would figure out something was up.”  He sighed.  “We’re mostly keeping all our suspicions to ourselves; we don’t want to freak everyone out yet.  There are nearly a hundred of us in there and if some started panicking, I’m afraid the Wallaces, or whoever is behind the kidnappings and that conversation Katie heard, will act sooner.”

“Best not to spook them into action.  We agree,” Bellamy said.  Clarke shot him a glare for skimming that from her mind.  “What?  You don’t agree?  We both know you do; I didn’t even have to read your mind to know that.”

“Fuck you,” she said without any heat.

Miller snorted.  “You two are looking cozy.”  Clarke tried to fight the rising blush on her cheeks.  “Anyway.  I should probably be getting back.  I’m already pushing my time.  I’ll probably have to start bringing Harper, so there’s less time wasted on hiking.  I just needed to make sure you knew we were more or less okay.  And then when Katie came to us at lunch, I knew I needed to talk to you.”

“No chance you could hide a walkie?” Bellamy asked.

“Not with the rest of the Abled in the room.  And I don’t want to risk their patrols finding one hidden just outside the Mountain.”

Clarke sighed, knowing they were already pushing their luck with how long Miller had probably been away from the Mountain.  “Okay.  Be safe, Miller. Talk to us as soon as you learn anything else.”

“Will do.  You two be safe, too.”

Bellamy nodded and Miller set out back the way he had come.  The two of them started on their way back to the Dropship.

“Should we tell the Council tonight or wait for tomorrow?” Clarke asked.  Bellamy didn’t respond.  She turned to look at him and found him lost in thought.  “Bellamy,” she called for his attention.  When he turned to look at her, she asked, “What are you thinking about?”

He looked a little at war with himself about telling her his musings.  “I should go in and help,” he stated bluntly.

“In the Mountain?”  Clarke yelled, pulling to a stop and yanking him around to face her.  “No.  No way.  I’m not sending more people in!  It was hard enough sending Miller back.  And Monty and Jasper and the rest inside.  No.” She crossed her arms stubbornly.

“I can hear their thoughts.  I can project to you what they’re thinking and other inside information.  And Katie, she’s just…”

“Just a kid, I know.  But she’s going to keep listening to them whether you’re in there or not.  She’s got Jasper in there to protect her.  You’ve seen Jasper hulk out.  Do you really think he’d let something happen to a twelve-year-old girl?”

“No, but—”

“Plus, you were just saying you don’t think you’d be much help in listening to thoughts from outside the Mountain.  What makes you think you’d be able to project them out to us.”

“Clarke, I have to do this.  It’ll give us the best intel and the best chance of getting out people out of there unharmed.”

A small part of her knew this was a perfect opportunity for prime inside information, but the bigger part of her was screaming that no way in hell should she let Bellamy intentionally put himself in that kind of danger.  “And where are you going to hide?  You can’t just join our people inside.  They’d notice you in an hour.”

“I can hear their thoughts; I can hide from them before they even know I’m down the hall.  You _know_ this is a good idea.”

She huffed.  “I don’t like it.  I don’t like it one bit.”

Bellamy gave her a sad smile.  “I’m not asking you to.”

“If you get hurt or killed in there, I’m going to fucking murder you.”

“What?  You’re going to Heal me back to life in order to kill me?  I don’t think you’re Abilities are _that_ strong yet.”

“Shut up.  I hate you,” Clarke muttered, trying not to join in with his laughing tone.

He was full-on grinning now.  “No you don’t.”

“Fuck you.  Stay out of my head,” she told, losing the fight to the smile spreading across her face.

Bellamy took a step forward and wrapped his arms around her, enfolding her in a hug.  “I’ll be okay, Princess.  I promise,” he whispered into her hair.

“You’d better,” she replied wrapping her arms around him in return and breathing deeply.


	16. Life Inside the Mountain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Monty exchanged a concerned look with Miller out of the corner of his eye, before looking at the guard and standing. “Did the president say why he wanted to speak with us?”  
> “President Wallace, god bless him, is a bit eccentric. Probably just wants to hear about your experience Outside.”

Miller shook himself, trying to get rid of the feeling of passing through the meters upon meters of mountain.  It definitely was not any better heading into the Mountain than it had been to go out.  Usually he barely noticed the sensation of Phasing, but when it was his whole body for longer than a few seconds, it felt a little eerie.  He quickly slipped through the hallways, keeping a feel out for anybody coming from the opposite direction; it wouldn’t do to run into someone while walking through a hallway he wasn’t supposed to be in.

He slipped into the Arkers’ bunk room, breathing a final sigh of relief.  His eyes roamed the room and landed on Monty’s pensive, worried face.  When he caught the other man’s eyes, Monty’s face grew into a huge smile. Before Miller knew what was happening Monty bounded up to him and wrapped him in a hug, though it was over before it had barely begun.  “Sorry, I was worried.  I didn’t know if you made it out or when you’d be back.  Or if you’d be back.  And that wasn’t inconspicuous at all.  Do you think that was too suspicious?  I don’t really hug you.  But I was just so happy to see you back and still in one piece.  And…” his frantic whispers trailed off.

Miller couldn’t help the smile that was spreading across his cheeks; if he ever had any doubt as to how cute Monty was, the rambling, blushing man before him put an end to that.  “It’s fine.  Don’t overthink it,” he smiled blindingly at Monty.  “Plus, I wouldn’t really mind if hugs became a more regular thing.”

Monty gave him a shy but happy smile, reluctantly turning back to the bunks where Monroe and Harper had been sitting with him earlier.

“That definitely didn’t draw any attention,” Monroe snorted as they sat down with the two girls.

“Shut up,” Harper replied before either of the men could.  “It was adorable.  They deserve their happiness in the middle of whatever the Mountain is up to.  Everyone already knows they like each other.  I’m just glad they’ve finally figured it out for themselves.”

Miller felt himself getting flustered, was he really _that_ obvious?  He had thought Monty might be flirting a little, but he hadn’t wanted to get his hopes up.  He risked a peak, and was slightly gratified to see a pink tinge on the tips of Monty’s ears.

“Can we, uh, move on to a different topic,” Miller suggested. He wanted to ask Monty about what Harper just said, but under no circumstances did he want to do so _in front of_ Harper.  He made a mental note to pull Monty aside after they finished the group talk.  “Where’s Jasper?”

“He and Maya went off somewhere, per usual,” Harper sighed happily.

Monroe elbowed her.  “How are you such a hopeless romantic.  First you moon over Miller and Monty, now Jasper and Maya.”

“Other people’s happiness makes me happy.  Sue me,” she returned huffily.

“Did you get to talk to Clarke and Bellamy?” Monty asked, getting them back on topic.

“Not for very long.  Bellamy a little longer than Clarke, the whole telepathic thing.  Basically, I gave them an update on us.  Then Bellamy told me that they were working with the grounders and Council to try to figure out a rescue plan.  The big problem they had run across in the meeting was wanting more inside information on the Mountain before they make their move.”

“So we have back-up.  Good.  Not that I thought they would leave us to rot, but it’s still good to hear.”

“Oh, and just before I got out of range, Bellamy said he wants to come in and try to get some of the intel himself.  With his Abilities, he would be the best bet of actually learning what the Mountain Men want from us.  He just wanted to prepare a bit, tell Octavia and the Council and such.  Convince Clarke.”

Monty nodded. “She’ll let him do it if she thinks it’s the best option for everyone else.  She’ll probably put up a fight at first and not be happy about it, but she’ll give in as soon as she realizes it’s the best way to get the info they want and get us out.”

Harper laughed.  “That about sums up Clarke, doesn’t it?  Everyone else’s well-being comes before her own.”

Monty nodded his head sadly.  “It’s going to catch up with her one day.  I’m just worried it’s going to break her.”

Miller huffed a laugh.  “Have you not seen the way Bellamy is with her?  The day he lets Clarke get broken is the day he breaks himself.”

Harper’s smile of the hopeless romantic was back.  Monroe, on the other hand, just nodded her agreement stoically.  “Whelp, if there isn’t anything else to report, I’m going to see if I can scrounge up some last minute dessert.  That cheesecake at dinner was to die for.  Well, not to die for, because from what Katie overheard, that seems like too much of a distinct possibility.”

Harper let out a peel of laughter.  “Agreed, on both parts.  You two want to join us?”

Miller shot a look at Monty before replying.  “No, I think we’re good.”

“Okee-doke.  Catch you later,” she replied, standing up and walking toward the door with Monroe.

Miller watched them go.  When he turned back, ready to bring up Harper’s earlier comment, Monty was looking at him nervously wringing his hands.  “So, about what Harper said…”

“I, uh, yeah.  It’s true,” Miller told him, finding some confidence after a second.  “I’ve been trying to flirt and figure out if you’re interested for a while now, but I’m not so great at it.  So, I’ll lay it out flat:   I like you.  I really like you.”  He picked up one of Monty’s hands and tentatively laced their fingers together.

“Me too,” Monty squeaked excitedly.

“You really like you, too?” Miller teased, but was unable to keep the brilliant smile off his face.

 _Really?_ the look on Monty’s face read before he leaned forward and pressed his lips against Miller’s.  “I hope that clears up any confusion,” he said when he pulled back.

“I don’t know.  We might have to try that again.  I’m not sure I got the message.”  Miller slid his other hand to the back of Monty’s neck and pulled him in for another kiss, deepening it with a questioning tongue at the seam of Monty’s lips.  He felt Monty smile for a second before enthusiastically responding.

They might be in a bad situation.  The Mountain might want them dead, or at least have some other nefarious plan for them.  But even the Mountain Men couldn’t take this perfect moment with Monty away.

 

* * *

 

 

They kept their ears open the next couple days trying to catch any of the same vibes Katie overheard.  But perhaps Katie had misunderstood or the conspirators had gone quiet, because so far they had no luck at all. 

“It makes me feel more anxious not hearing anything,” Monty told Nate as the two of them were staking out a spot near one of the stairways. There was a small alcove with a couch and some bookshelves, so they didn’t look too conspicuous. 

They were sitting on the couch, facing each other, their feet resting against the other’s hip.  “The not knowing is always the worst.”  He cocked his head with a thoughtful look, “Someone’s coming.”

“I hate that you and Bellamy can do that,” Monty admitted.  “Makes me useless with just my plants.”

“Hey, I probably would have eaten some strange berry and died when we first landed if it wasn’t for you.”

Monty shrugged non-committedly.  “But in a confrontation or an attack, what am I going to do?  Ramble on about the plants in the immediate area?”

“Maybe they’ll be so interested they’ll forget they were coming to attack,” Nate teased, and turned to watch as a guard came around the corner.

“There you two are.  Miller and Monty, right?  President Wallace would like a word with you.  Asked me to bring you to his office,” he greeted tersely.  “Let’s get going.  I hate tracking down people when I should be on the monitors.  This isn’t in my job description.”

Monty exchanged a concerned look with Nate out of the corner of his eye, before looking at the guard and standing.  “Did the president say why he wanted to speak with us?”

“President Wallace, god bless him, is a bit eccentric.  Probably just wants to hear about your experience Outside.”

Nate shrugged and the two of them began to follow the guard through the halls.  There was next to nothing Monty wouldn’t give to have Bellamy’s Ability right now to know what the guard was thinking.  At least Nate would get a sense if they were being escorted into an ambush.  So that was at least something.

After a few short minutes the guard pulled up short in front of an unassuming door.  “Just knock and head on in.  He’s expecting you,” he nodded and strode away without further instruction.  Monty looked to Miller for reassurance.

“Well, there’s only one person on the other side of the door.”

“So, not a trap?” he asked hopefully.

“Probably not,” Nate replied, though he didn’t sound a hundred percent convinced of his own statement either.

 

* * *

 

 

Jasper smiled at the girl next to him.  After she had first shown him the storage room of all the paintings, the two of them had come back frequently.  A quiet place where they could spend some time together without the rest of the Arkers or Mountain people interrupting. 

He happily twined his fingers around hers as they walked between the rows of paintings.

“Okay, how about this one?” she asked excitedly.  She stopped next to a painting, indicating they should continue with the game they had made up; coming up with an interpretation of what was happening in the work.  While Maya liked to speculate on the artist’s thoughts and emotions for the painting, Jasper simply liked to make Maya laugh.

“Well,” he stared at it and began picking out things.  “This girl here in the poofy skirt is showing off for all her other friends in poofy skirts.”

Maya giggled.  “I’m pretty sure they’re called _ballerinas_.”

“Okay, Miss Smartypants.  So, this _ballerina_ girl thinks she better than all the other ballerina girls.  So much so that this made this one cry,” he points to another girl who is facing the wall.  “And these girls here are so over her shit, they’re looking at the papers, trying to not give show-off-girl what she wants.

“And the girls in the back are gossiping about her.  This one’s eating and I don’t know what the fuck that girl is doing in the mirror. And this creeper man is just watching the show off ballerina because he’s a creeper.”

Maya had completely dissolved into laughter and was now beaming at him, shaking her head a bit.  “You are ridiculous.”

He returned the bright smile and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.  “But you like ridiculous.”

She nodded happily and he captured her lips for a kiss.

A loud cough sounded from behind him.  “Maya, you know you shouldn’t be bringing people here.”

Maya immediately shrank a little in embarrassment.  “Sorry, Emerson.  I know, I just wanted to show him my favorite room.  You have to admit the art is beautiful.”

“Not my cup of tea.  But if it gives you thrills, far be it from me to judge.”

Maya’s brow furrowed.  “Is there something you wanted?”

“Yeah, President Wallace wanted to see your boy here.  Not you.  You can stay here.”

She opened her mouth, about to say something else, but Jasper squeezed her hand.  “Alrighty,” he told the man.  “Let’s go talk to _el presidente_.  I’ll catch up with you after dinner or tomorrow or something.” He gave Maya a quick peck on the lips before following Emerson into the hall.

 

* * *

 

 

Monty tentatively raised his hand and knocked.  A boisterous, “Come in,” called from within.

The two men walked into the room to find President Dante Wallace standing in front of an easel.  He put his brush down when he recognized the two of them.  “Ah, Miller and Monty.  It is good to see you.  I am so glad you could come talk with me. I was sitting here thinking about your people and realized I never personally welcomed you to Mount Weather.  Quite remiss of me, really.  And as I’ve heard it, you two and your friend Jasper are the leaders of your group of Sky People, as the Outsiders call you.”

“Well, Clarke and Bellamy more so,” Monty corrected.

“Ah, yes.  I have heard those names before.”

“Speaking of Clarke and Bellamy.  They’re outside with the rest of our people,” Nate stated bluntly, perhaps trying to get a rise out of the old man.  Or maybe just some answers.

“I know. I know.  I’ve been wanting to extend an invitation to the Mountain to your people, but it’s been a bit dangerous outside the Mountain as of late.  We risked a lot to bring your group in here.”

“You attacked us.  Used knock-out gas.  That’s not really a friendly invitation.”

Dante looked like he was restraining a part of himself that wanted to lash out a response.  Instead he just smiled.  “We assumed you would attack us as you did the Outsiders.  Our apologies if we got it wrong.  We simply believed that you would live better, happier lives inside this facility.  We have treated you with nothing but kindness since you’ve arrived.  If someone has not, please tell me whom.”

Monty bit his tongue.  It wasn’t like anyone _had_ been treating them poorly, but that didn’t negate anything Katie overheard.  Plus, maybe Dante was just trying to see what they knew and if they mentioned what Katie heard, the two of them would be signing up for some involuntary blood tests.  One glance at Nate told him that he was thinking along the same lines. “No.  Everyone we’ve talked to has been nice,” he finally said.

“Well, that’s wonderful.  You two had me worried for a minute.”

“So, um, _are_ you going to try to get in contact with the rest of our people?  I mean we have an accord with the grounders, sorry, Outsiders, now.  So it’s not really dangerous for us to be out there.  With our people,” Monty emphasized the last bit.

“No, no.  I assure you, as soon as we feel ready and prepared, we will be reaching out to the rest of your people.  Letting them know you’re safe in here and they’re more than welcome to join us.”

“And if we want to go out there?” Nate asked.

“I don’t see why you would,” Dante gave them a blank smile, clearly hiding or lying about something.  “Especially once the rest of your people join us.”

“Is that all you wanted?  To welcome us?” Monty asked, more than ready to get out of there.

“Why, yes.  I’m sorry if I’m keeping you from something.  I just wanted to check in with you and give you the much belated, but still warm, welcome to Mount Weather.”

“Thanks.  We definitely feel officially welcomed,” Monty tried to keep the suspicion out of his voice.  “But we had plans to meet up with friends before dinner.”

“No problem.  No problem at all.  I hear there’s going to be a spinach-strawberry salad, so make sure you bring your appetite.”

“Thanks, Dante,” Nate said.  “We’ll catch up with you again some other time.”  He turned and started for the door, Monty at his side.

When they finally made it back to their bunks they looked around to see who was nearby and turned on the radio, so the music would lessen the chance of someone overhearing their conversation.

“So, that was weird,” Monty opened the conversation with. 

“Definitely. And where was Jasper? Dante mentioned him, but he never showed.”

“I don’t know.  The guard looked like he had trouble finding the two of us.  Maybe he just gave up on finding Jasper and decided two out of three wasn’t bad.”

“Probably hiding somewhere with Maya.  She knows this place like the back of her hand.”

Monty spoke his next question quietly.  It had been an idea he was toying with, but he still remained unsure.  “Do you think she’d help us?  If we wanted to leave?”

Nate furrowed his brow.  “I’m not sure.  She clearly cares a lot about Jasper and she’s been kind to all of us.  But she _is_ one of them.”

“I talked with her a bit when we first arrived and she seemed oblivious to any malicious intent on the part of the Mountain.  She had no idea we weren’t in danger outside and genuinely thought they were doing a good thing inviting us inside.”

Nate suddenly shook his head sharply, indicating that Monty should stop talking.  “Hey, Katie,” he called over the music.

The small girl had walked up to where the two of them were talking.  “Am I interrupting?  I can go.”

“We were just talking.  What’s up?”

She twisted her hand on the rail of the foot of the bunk.  “So you know how you told me to tell you if I heard anything?”   Monty and Nate nodded their encouragement.  “Well, I heard something a little weird.  It was the same two people talking.  But I should probably start back earlier in the day.  So, before lunch, a bunch of us were just sitting around talking about our Abilities.  You know, trying to guess what everyone else can do.”

“Who was there?”  Monty asked.  If she thought what she overheard had something to do with this, he wanted to know which kids he should keep on, lest the Mountain try anything.

“Um, me, Trina, Chris, Myles.  Finn and Roma were nearby and kind of talked with us a bit too.  We were all laughing because of Chris’s Ability; you know how sometimes you can give people a little electric shock when you touch them?  Well, that’s Chris’s Ability.  To give people an electric shock any times he wants.  He was laughing, too, shocking everyone repeatedly.  So we weren’t making fun of him or anything.”  She sounded defensive, like they were going to yell at her for being a bully.

Monty was trying his hardest not to let loose a small chuckle as well.  He had heard of some odd Abilities before, but this one took the cake.

“Anyway, some of the kids from the Mountain saw us laughing and came over to see what we were talking about.  They didn’t know we had Abilities and they thought it was the coolest thing ever.  So we told them about our Abilities and a couple of the other people’s we knew.  I didn’t think anything of it.  We were just having fun and getting to know the other kids.

“Then, it was afternoon when I Heard the two people.  They called each other by name this time:  Lorelei and Cage.  So yeah, Cage said, ‘Did you test the blood on the Outsider yet?’

“And Lorelei said, ‘It was wonderful, Cage.  He had Powers for a short period.  Couldn’t control them at all, but they were there.’ 

“Then he said, ‘That’s good. Control will develop over time.  Emerson heard some kids talking about all the different Powers.  And Lorelei, there are so many of them.’ 

“They started talking about all the Abilities _we_ had been talking about earlier.  And Cage got really excited about Jasper for some reason—Finn was the one who was talking about you and Raven and Clarke and the rest that came down first.  I stopped listening to them then because someone else was coming down the hall I was in.  But yeah.  That’s something you wanted to know about, right?”

“Definitely,” Monty assured her, giving Nate a brief glance in which he tried to convey the extent of his worry. 

“You did good, kid,” Nate smiled at her.

Katie beamed under the praise.  “Should I listen more?  For Cage and Lorelei?”

The two men exchanged a look, trying to decide how much they should ask of her.  So far she was the only one to gain any insight on the underbelly of the Mountain, but she was just a kid.  Nate sighed, making the decision neither of them really wanted, but the whole group needed.  “Yeah.  If you could.  Just promise us you’ll stay safe.  You won’t get caught listening in on them.”

“Nope.  I’m real good at people not finding out.  I made it all twelve years of my life without anyone on the Ark knowing.  Once we landed though, Clarke made it so it was okay at the Dropship.  That’s why Mom said it was okay to go to your camp rather than stay with her.  She got really scared when they shocklashed Clarke; but once you all kept standing up to the Council she said she’d feel better with me living with you guys.”

 _Yeah, I bet she’s really happy she made that decision now_ , Monty thought wryly to himself.  He noticed the slight waver in her voice when she talked about her mom, though and gave her a smile.  “We’ll get you back to your mom.  Don’t worry.”

She nodded, putting her brave face back on.  “So, yeah.  I just wanted to let you know what I heard.  I’ll keep listening.”

“Thanks, Katie,” Nate called after her as she bounced off toward her friends again.

As soon as she was gone, Monroe and Harper came over.  “What did Katie have to say?”

“She overheard some people talking about our Abilities some more.  We’ll tell you details over dinner,” Nate said standing.  “Assuming that’s what you were originally planning on getting us for.”

“Yup,” Harper agreed.  “We just saw you talking with Katie and figured it was something important.”

“Definitely.  Not quite enough for me to risk another trip out of the Mountain, but something we’ll need to keep an eye on.”

“Where’s Jasper?  He never misses a meal,” Monroe asked.

“Probably still with Maya,” Monty shrugged.  “They were going to look at the paintings again last I heard.”

“Well, if he misses chocolate cake, he’s going to be really disappointed.”

 

* * *

 

 

Bellamy sighed happily.  It was one of those rare days in which they were just able to sit around camp.  No drama for the immediate moment, just waiting for Miller or someone to contact with more information on the Mountain or their attack.  Bellamy was anxious to get inside and gather his own intel.  The sooner he could get in, the sooner they could get their people out.  Clarke shared the sentiment, but it didn’t mean he wasn’t constantly aware of her underlying worry at the thought of him inside the Mountain.

But today was a low key day, almost reminiscent of the first few days they were on the ground, albeit with a larger group.  Sasha and a couple of the remaining Abled had made their way over to the Dropship; Diana was on another tirade after finding out Kane was unregistered. 

Bellamy smiled at seeing Clarke happy, sitting on the ground casually making faces at Jack-Jack while she talked with Sasha, Raven, and himself.

“No, Jack.  We don’t eat clumps of dirt,” Sasha said, pulling the offending clump from his little first that was near his mouth.

“If looks could kills,” Raven laughed, as Jack sent his mother a very unhappy glare.

“I’d be dead five-hundred times over.  Jack-Jack doesn’t like the word ‘no.’”

“It’s not a fun word, is it, Jack?” Clarke asked the child, shaking her head playfully.  He grabbed at her hair, catching some in a first.

“Who wants to say, ‘no,’ now?” Bellamy asked with a smile.

She sent him a grumpy look and carefully extracted her hair.

“I’m going to start on dinner.  Keep the kid away from the fire,” Murphy grunted as he emerged from the Dropship and walked toward the nearby firepit; he was definitely becoming their resident chef.

“There are literally four of us sitting here, do you really think we’d just let him run into your cooking fire?” Raven asked dryly.

“Kids like bright, shiny things.  I don’t know,” he grunted.  He arranged the firewood, Jack-Jack watching him in fascination.

Murphy called up a small flame and sent it into the pit lighting the kindling easily.  Jack clapped his hands excitedly and set himself on fire.  Everyone leapt back at the sudden flame engulfing the child, who was still giggling happily.

“Oh my gods!” Clarke shouted, her instincts warring between grabbing the child and backing away from the fire. 

Sasha had the same look of panic which was not a good look to show her child. Because as soon as he saw his mom looking concerned, Jack began crawling over to his mom to investigate.  “He’s never done this before,” she shouted frantically.  “What do I do?”

“For the love of the gods,” Murphy walked over and picked up the child and extinguished the flames.

Jack just sent the flames up again, as if proudly showing Murphy what he could do.  Murphy extinguished them.  The pattern repeated a third and fourth time, until Murphy brought a small ball of fire into his palm and began making it dance.  Jack laughed delightedly, but didn’t set himself afire again, instead only reached out for the flame.

“Well, well, well, look who is on permanent babysitter retainer,” Raven laughed.

“Fuck, I am now, aren’t I?” he groaned.

Sasha laughed.  “Pretty much.  You’ll have to help me teach him not to just burst into flames every time he sees fire or feels like it.”

Murphy shrugged.  “I always thought it would be fun to meet another pyrokinetic.  Now I have a little mentee.”

“What have we done?” Bellamy moaned.

“You’re going to have to stop swearing, too,” Raven added.  “We don’t need Jack picking that up.”

“Do you know how fucking—how difficult it is to not swear?”

“Well, you’re going to have to learn.”

There was a rush of wind and Harper skidded to a stop in the middle of camp.  The mood shifted instantly upon recognizing the expression on her face.  Something was wrong.  Something was very wrong.  Bellamy huffed, not being able to get a read on her; Harper’s thoughts had a tendency to move as fast as she did, especially when she had been using her Ability.

“Jasper’s missing.  No one has seen him in over a day.  Not even Maya,” she looked from face to face, her own etched with worry.

Well, Bellamy _had_ been looking for a reason and opportunity to get into the Mountain.  He just wished it wasn’t under such dire circumstances.  “Let’s go,” he said, getting up from where he had been seated on the ground.  If Jasper was missing, he wanted to get in there as soon as possible.  He was already making plans on how to search out Jasper’s thought pattern and get him free of whatever position the Mountain Men had him in.

“Bell,” Clarke’s voice rose, as she stood as well.  Her face and posture weren’t giving anything away, but her mind was filled with worry.  Worry for him, for Jasper, for everyone in the damn Mountain.

“I keep my promises,” he reached for her unconsciously.

She stepped forward, completing his reach by taking his hand in hers and giving it a small squeeze.  “Remember what we agreed on.  One of us will be hiding near the Mountain every sunrise for a check-in and update.”

“Got it.”

“Now get in there and get Jasper out of whatever trouble they’ve put him in.”

He huffed a laugh.  “Aye, aye, Captain.”

“Be safe, big brother,” Octavia told him, having wandered over from her sparring with Lincoln when Harper arrived.

He nodded and her and the rest of the group.

“You ready for this, Bellamy?” Harper smiled at him gleefully.

“For what? Oh no, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he said realizing what she was getting at.

“It’s just a piggy-back ride.  It’ll be over in just a few seconds.”

“That’s exactly the part I’m nervous about.”

“Do you want to get to Jasper now? Or take an extra few hours for the normal hike?”

He reluctantly climbed on Harper’s back.  “I still don’t think—”  His stomach was in his throat.  The sensation lasted for a few seconds before he realized Harper had stopped.  He practically fell off her back and proceeded to throw up.

Miller’s boisterous laugh recalled him to his surroundings.

“Remind me to never do that, again,” he told him.

Miller’s laugh reached a crescendo.  “If you liked that.  You’re going to love this,” he patted the solid wall of Mountain behind him.

“Shit.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonus points to anyone who can tell me who the painting Jasper and Maya were looking at is by. It’s not much to go on, and I did work at my college’s Art Museum for a year, but this artist is known for painting (and drawing and making prints of) ballerinas. Super extra bonus points if you can find the exact painting I was looking at when I wrote Jasper’s description.


	17. Drama Lllama, Thy Name is Charles Pike

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke held back a snarl and strode out of the room and then out of the village. Why did Bellamy have to fucking act like a goddamn hero and go into the Mountain? There is way too much shit to deal with on the outside as it stands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title from an inside joke mostly with myself, a little with my beta. I don’t know how many people have noticed/read my occasional complaints, but I hate coming up with titles. Honestly, out of all my stories I think I have two titles I actually like (one of which my beta came up with *cough cough* this story) and two that I can stand; I hate the rest. I don’t know what possessed me to write chapter titles, but I started so I can’t stop.  
> Anyway, while planning this chapter and the previous I deemed them “Drama Llama inside the Mountain” and “Drama Llama outside the Mountain.” I changed chapter sixteen’s title to something a little less obvious, but when I told my beta what this chapter was titled, she said, “Just keep it. It’s perfect.” And since I trust her judgement with the rest of the story, I figured I would do so here as well.
> 
> Also, it makes me smile that so many people recognize my homage to The Incredibles with Jack-Jack in the last chapter.  
> And, congrats on the bonus points to those who named it, but for all those who were curious, the painting that Maya and Jasper were looking at in chapter sixteen was “The Dance Class” by Edgar Degas.

Clarke had been feeling slightly off-balance since she woke up.  It was subtle, but there was still that small feeling of something being not quite right.  She was doing some laundry at the stream with Raven when the reason behind the feeling hit her:  Bellamy.  She sat up straight, mouth slightly agape.

“What’s the matter?” Raven asked, immediately looking around for potential dangers.

Clarke shook her head, as if trying to dislodge the thought that had just taken root.  “Nothing.  It’s not important,” she dismissed.

Raven sat back on her heels. Having learned to read Clarke’s nuances, she was fully interested now.  “Come on, spill.”

She heaved a sigh.  “So, I’ve been feeling off all day.  I couldn’t think of a reason; we’re on good terms with the grounders, the Council has been slightly less annoying than usual, and we’re getting closer to getting our people out of the Mountain.  Everything is heading in the right direction, so I couldn’t understand why I had this nagging feeling in the back of my mind.”

“Bellamy.”

Clarke furrowed her brows.  “How did you…?”

Raven laughed boisterously.  “You’re so obvious, Clarke.  Once you two got over hating each other, you came to rely on one another.  Hell, even when you didn’t get along, you still needed each other.  You already knew you were worried about him in the Mountain, you just got used to being able to lean on him for support and assuage some of your worries.  Now _he’s_ your biggest worry and you don’t know what to do.”

“Go take your psychoanalysis somewhere else,” Clarke pouted, grumpy that Raven had hit the nail on the head, easily putting what Clarke was feeling into a few simple sentences.

Raven chuckled as she returned to work.  “I can’t wait to tell Murphy.”

“Why do you have to tell Murphy?”

“He’ll get a kick out of it.  He was waiting to see which of you is going to jump the other first.  But now he thinks it’ll just be a fast and needy reunion fuck as soon as you and Bellamy see each other again—his words, not mine.”

Clarke groaned.  “Can you just not?”

“What?  You can’t tell me you haven’t thought about it.”

“No.  We’re not—It’s not…It’s more than that, okay?”

“‘More than that’ implies that there is _that_.”

Clarke opened her mouth to retort when the walkie crackled from a few feet away.  “Clarke? Raven?  You there?”

“Thank the fucking gods,” Clarke muttered, scrambling the short distance to grab the device.  “What’s up, Octavia?”

“This conversation isn’t over, Clarke,” Raven warned.

“What conversation?  I’m intrigued?” Octavia came back.

“Nothing worth caring about,” Clarke answered.

Raven smirked.  “I’m pretty sure she’d care.  He _is_ her brother.”

“What about Bell?”

“It’s not important.  Why’d you call?”

“Oh, right.  Exodus contacted us through the coms.  They said that they found Mecha station and wanted you to come help in the case of injuries.”

“Alright.  I’ll come back, grab a pack, and go.”

“See you soon,” Octavia signed off.

“Tsk-tsk.  Running away from the conversation.”

“I’m not, and you’re wrong anyway.  Well, you and Murphy.”

“So, it’s not just a fuck to get it out of your systems, you actually—”

“I’m leaving now.  Bye,” Clarke interrupted, getting up to leave.  “You’ll finish the laundry?”

Raven nodded.  “I’m worried about him too, you know?” she called when Clarke was a few feet away. “We all are, just not quite in the same state as you.  But if anyone can pull off this mission, it’s Bellamy.”

Clarke turned back toward the stream and briefly leaned on a tree.  “I know.  I know he’s our best resource for this.  I know he can handle himself.  I know all these things objectively.  But it doesn’t stop me from freaking out a bit every time I dwell on it.  Maybe I’ll be a little better once we start those daily updates tomorrow.”

“Tell him I say not to get caught or die.”

Clarke gave her a small smile.  “Octavia’s actually going tomorrow.  We already talked and determined it would be better for her to go, at least the first time.  She can scout the better position and if it comes to hiding or fighting, she’d have a better chance than me.”

“As long as you don’t send Octavia with your profession of love, because that could get awkward.”

“Fuck you.  And when did this become a love profession?  Whatever I’m leaving.  I’ll see you tonight or tomorrow, depending on Mecha.”

“Have fun.  Save lives!” Raven called her farewell as Clarke made her way through the trees toward the Dropship.

 

...

 

Clarke tromped through the trees after picking up her pack.  She was almost at Exodus, but her mind was still stuck on the conversation with Raven.  Whatever Raven was hinting at, Clarke wasn’t quite ready to admit it, at least not while so much was at stake.  Maybe, _maybe_ , she would revisit it after everyone was safely out of the Mountain and she didn’t feel like they were teetering on a knife’s edge of survival.  Get everyone settled and living a relatively normal and happy life and then she would begin to make her own considerations.

A small voice in her mind asked if Bellamy would still be waiting if she didn’t say anything.  But she dismissed it out of hand.  Chances are he wasn’t on the same page anyways.  And oh gods, good thing she wasn’t going to talk to him tomorrow morning because he would more than likely pick up on this train of thought, and that was definitely something she did _not_ want to happen until she was ready. 

The problem in front of her.  That’s how she focused best.  Today was checking on the people from Mecha station.  Tomorrow’s problems would be dealt with exactly then, tomorrow.

“Weapons,” Bryne gave the traditional greeting.

Clarke rolled her head back on her shoulders in exasperation. “Seriously?  Still?  Isn’t this getting a little old?  I’m here to Heal people, not attack them.”

“Rules are rules.”

“And your rules are dumb.”  Clarke resisted the urge to throw the rifle she had brought for the journey at Bryne.  When she was a few feet away she smothered a smile as she thought about the few knives she had strategically hidden about her person.  An echo of Bellamy projecting, _That’s my girl_ , when she had first told him about the hidden dirks, ran through her mind.  She tampered down the resulting blush the best she could.

She made her way to med bay, to find Jackson working.  The on-again-off-again relationship with her mother had a tendency to lead to a stressful work environment, so she wasn’t complaining.

“Where do you need me?” she asked the residing doctor.

“Oh, hey, Clarke,” Jackson turned, glancing up from his tablet.  “The man in the back corner might need your Healing; he had a nasty fall on the hike here.  Other than that just your run of the mill sprains, scrapes, and bruises.”

“Got it.”

Clarke got to work on the man who had fallen.  A broken leg and a concussion, so they technically didn’t need her, but she knew her mom and Jackson liked having another person well-versed in medicine and the body in their med bay.  She Healed the concussion and started the bones on their way to recovery before moving on to check on the next patient.  With the attack on the Mountain in the near horizon Clarke didn’t want to chance being the least bit exhausted by her Ability.  She only wished it were possible to store up her Healing.

She was steadily working through the patientswhen Kane entered the room, drawing her attention.  “I was hoping to find you in here,” he greeted.  “But I think you’d better come sit in on Pike’s briefing.  It’s not a formal Council meeting, but I still think you should be present.”

“Thanks, Kane,” she replied gratefully.   “You good in here, Jackson?”

“You go help with the bigger picture.  But know your help is always welcome in here.”

She smiled and hurried after Kane.  When she entered the Council’s meeting room, she heard Diana scoff under her breath.  “Of course.  He went to go get his fellow mutant.”

Clarke bit her tongue and sat down in the empty chair next to her mother, flashing Abby a brief smile.

“Now that Marcus is here, we can begin,” Jaha opened.

“Clarke has no right to be here,” Diana chimed.

“She has established her right to be here,” Jaha replied calmly.  “She was integral to the survival of the Mountain’s attack and our current standing with the grounders.  She is working diligently to rescue the members of our society who were taken.  And most importantly, she has the support of the Abled in our society, something that the rest of us sadly lack.”

“So you’re saying the mutants would revolt if you don’t have one of their own as a non-official member of the Council?”  Pike asked, sounding more curious at the new status of Abled than anything.

“They are glad to have a voice representing them,” Jaha replied diplomatically. 

Diana released a half-laugh.  “They’re already going to _her_ camp.  I say we send them all and wash our hands of them.”

Clarke subtly clenched her hands into fists under the table.  What she wouldn’t give to have Bellamy with her right now?  Even just their side conversations helped keep her from bursting.

“What don’t we get back to the reason for this meeting,” Abby suggested, perhaps having noticed Clarke’s twitching movements.

Pike leaned his elbows on the tables, drawing everyone’s attention fully.  “I will keep it as brief as I can, but I prefer it if you let me tell my entire story before you ask questions.”

The group nodded their understandings.

“Okay, so starting with the landing.  Well, it was chaos.  People were scared, but grateful to be on the ground, on Earth; they had never thought they would experience this for themselves.  But there were more than a few people who were banged up from the landing and there was no working radio or other way to try to contact the rest of the Ark.  I saw no one else stepping up, so I took charge.

“I began directing people to search for food, water, wood; whatever we needed to survive.  Being the Earth Skills teacher for the past few decades definitely helped with knowing what to do.  We had barely established a livable shell of a camp, when the first group of people were attacked.  They had been out gathering food when people came out of nowhere brandishing weapons.  They killed all but one of the people in the gathering party; and he only lived long enough to make it back to camp to warn us.”

 _Shit_ , Clarke thought.  _I know exactly where this is going._  The accord wouldn’t have reached the area in which Mecha fell for another few days after they landed.  And by then the damage would have been done.

Pike continued his story as Clarke gritted her teeth against what she knew was coming.  “Naturally, we armed ourselves.  We fought back.  We are from the Ark!  It is our birthright to return to Earth!  But they just kept coming and more of our people were severely injured or killed.  At last we took a stand.  We found their village and put an end to their reign of terror. 

“But word must have spread, because the next village over attacked us.  And so we did as we had to.  Eventually one of our people got the GPS to work.  We knew the coordinates of the original Dropship and began heading in that direction when we came upon your scouts from Exodus.  And from there I believe you know the story.”

Clarke couldn’t hold it in any longer.  “Did you even _try_ to make peace?”

“They attacked us violently and without cause.  What would you have done?”

“What I _did_ do!  I talked to them!  The first meeting may not have gone so well,

 and the second didn’t start off on a good foot, but we made peace by the end of it.”

“Idealist little girl,” Pike pandered.  “From what I could tell by these savages, they don’t know the meaning of the word ‘peace.’  You may have your peace for a minute, but they’ll have a knife at your throat the second you look away.”

“How would you fucking know?  You never even spoken to one of them.”

“Clarke, calm down,” her mother laid a hand on her arm.

She shook her off violently.  “No!  I can’t.  Not when everything I worked so hard to accomplish is likely hanging by a thread.”

“They had mutants, too,” Pike spoke, his tone of derision palpable.  “Not as many as we had on the Ark.  They treated them as something special, their prized warriors.  That’s probably why they liked you.”

Diana sneered.  “It’s true; they think mutants are something special.”

 _How did we get back to this?_ Clarke exasperatedly asked herself. 

Kane, who had been soaking in all the information and quietly processing it, finally joined the conversation.  “Do you think the situation with the grounders will be salvageable after this?” he asked Clarke.

“Honestly, I don’t know.  And how we’re going to get our people back if we lose their help, I can’t tell you.  Our plan hinged on having a large assault on the Mountain.  Without the clans and their numbers to back us up, we’re seriously going to have to rethink our strategy.”

“Why do we need the savages for anything?” Pike asked.

At the same time Diana questioned, “Why do we need to get those mutants back anyway?”

Further arguments were interrupted by a knock on the door, shortly followed by Sinclair stepping into the room.  “Sorry to interrupt, but Raven is on the coms for Clarke.  She said something about a messenger who isn’t leaving without a reply from Clarke.”

Clarke looked up in surprise, not having thought Sinclair was there for her.  Her brain took a second to process what he had just said.  “Um, I assume the messenger is from Lexa?”

“That’s what she said.”

She rubbed her hands against her temple.  “Have Raven tell the messenger I just found out about the situation a minute ago.  And will be happy to meet with Lexa tomorrow after I have learned more.  I’ll leave from Exodus first thing in the morning.”  She knew _this_ meeting was far from over and she wanted to get as many details from Pike as possible.  If there was any glimmer of hope to salvage the accord, she needed to find it before tomorrow.

“Will do, Clarke,” Sinclair smiled.  “Oh, and Pike?  Kyle Wick was supposed to be on Mecha for the descent.  I didn’t see him with the rest of the people and was wondering if you knew where he was.”

Pike shrugged.  “He left.  I think it was the third day on the ground.  He just left camp in the morning and didn’t return.”

“You didn’t look for him?”

“Couldn’t spare the resources,” Pike shrugged again.

Sinclair furrowed his brow and looked as if he was about to make a retort.  Instead he just met Clarke’s eyes to find the same confusion and upset.  She didn’t know Kyle Wick, but she didn’t like Pike’s response in the least.  “I’ll, um, let Raven know what you said,” he told her and turned to go out the door, hiding a look of distress. 

 

* * *

 

 

Bellamy had only been in the Mountain for a day and he had already figured out enough that he wanted his people out of there _now_.  He stopped his leg from bouncing nervously as he sat in a janitor’s closet as close to the edge of the Mountain as he could get.  He was just waiting for Clarke to arrive for their daily update. 

He had sensed a thought pattern approaching the Mountain for a bit.  But he figured until he could tell who it was there was no chance they would be able to communicate.  And then the pattern resolved, and he was startled to find Octavia rather than Clarke.  _Hey, O_ , he tried.

_Bell!  I’m glad you’re safe!  And oh my gods, you’re disappointed I’m not Clarke._

_What? No._

_The joys of communicating telepathically, I can tell what you’re feeling.  You were expecting your girlfriend and all you got was your little sister.  Wow, Bell.  Wow._

_It’s not like that. I was just expecting it to be her.  I’m not disappointed it’s you.  I’m just as happy to talk to you as I would be to talk to Clarke._

_Yeah, uh-huh.  Sure._

_Can you stop being my little sister for a moment and actually talk about updates?_

_Avoiding the conversation,_ he could sense her shaking her head in disappointment. _Just like Clarke._

_What about Clarke?_

_Nothing._

He tried to follow her train of thought, but growing up with him had taught her how to successfully keep the thought she wanted him to read at the forefront of her mind.  He could go digging for what he wanted, but out of respect for privacy, he wouldn’t.  _So, you have any updates from out there first?_

_Mecha Station survived the landing.  Clarke’s at Exodus right now helping in med bay.  And Lexa wants to meet with Clarke about something; the messenger didn’t say what though._

“Of course she does,” Bellamy muttered under his breath, purposefully trying to not send it to Octavia.

_Sorry, I didn’t catch that._

He winced.  _Nothing.  Just give me updates on both of those when you can._

_Will do.  And the big question:  how’s it going in there?_

_Well, we need to get everyone out as soon as physically possible.  I found out more on what Miller had told us.  About the blood tests.  They’re not just testing out blood; they’re doing transfusions with it.  They want to gain Abilities and they think this is how to do it.  I’ve seen their thoughts, they’re prepared to completely drain a person to try to transfer Abilities.  I don’t even know enough science to know if that would work, but I don’t want to have to find out the hard way._

Octavia’s thoughts were a bright pattern of fear and worry.  _How soon are they going to make a move?_

 _They’ve_ , he braced himself, _they’re getting ready to try it on Jasper.  They’ve been testing his blood on grounders, trying to turn them into some kind of guard dogs for the Mountain.  The grounders, they can’t control it like Jasper does._

He oddly sensed a puzzle piece falling into place in Octavia’s thoughts.  _That’s what they were.  Lincoln and I were doing some late hunting—trying to get the animals that come out at dusk—when we ran into some crazed, bulked-out people.  He thought he recognized them from a village south of the Mountain, but they wouldn’t respond to their names.  They just attacked.  And they were stronger than normal.  They weren’t as big as Jasper gets, kind of like a lesser version of what happens to him…_

 _Fuck.  I didn’t think they let them out of the Mountain yet.  But yeah, that would make sense…_ he put together a few of his own puzzle pieces.

_What?_

_The doctor-scientist person was thinking about combining the blood with an addictive substance.  Meaning the grounders would want to come back to the Mountain for a second dose of Jasper’s blood._

_So, basically the Mountain now has guard dogs with the faces of people the grounders know.  Great.  That’s going to make attacking so much easier._ Bellamy snorted at the sarcasm that almost drowned out her verbalization.

Bellamy sensed something going on deeper inside the Mountain.  He focused on it, and noticed it was a panic of jumbled thoughts coming from the Abled kids’ bunkroom.

_Hang on a second, Octavia.  Something’s happening._

_What is it?_ She demanded.

 _I don’t know yet._ He sent her before seeking out someone else.  _Miller!  What’s going on?_

Miller’s thoughts came back, streaming a line of panic and confusion before they focused on him.  _I was going to ask_ you.  _We woke up and more people are missing.  Everyone noticed.  It’s panic in here._

 _Yeah,_ Bellamy replied, holding back the full force of his anger and worry.  _I could tell that much._

 _What do we do?_ Bellamy hadn’t heard him so helpless before and that’s what hardened Bellamy’s own resolve.

_You try to keep everyone calm the best you can.  I’ll figure out where they are.  Can you give me a few names to seek out?_

He sensed Monty’s presence lending support to Miller and smiled to himself.  A more confident Miller returned.  _Finn’s gone.  So is Roma, Myles, Chris, Diggs, Jones, Jessica.  And Harper…_ the last name came with added difficulty.

Bellamy took a deep, steadying breath.  _I’ll look for them and keep you updated.  Anything special you want me to tell the outside while I’ve got Octavia here?_

_Just to hurry their asses up because it’s not going to be long before people start getting killed._

Bellamy grimaced.  _O?_

 _Yeah?_ He could sense how eager she was for news.

_More people went missing.  I need to seek them out.  I’ll update tomorrow if I can._

_Take off that “if I can” disclaimer, because you_ will _update.  Or you will have at the very least both myself and Clarke out for your blood._

He chuckled.  _Alright. I’ll let you know what I find out tomorrow.  Stay safe._

 _You too, Big Brother._   _And yes, I’ll tell Clarke the same from you._ She answered his unspoken request.  No wonder people didn’t like that he could read their thoughts; he would definitely have to be more careful about sharing his own when he was projecting out to someone.

 

* * *

 

 

Clarke huffed to herself as she walked toward TonDC.  After what Pike had said yesterday, and especially when he went into detail and made it clear that he could not and would not see a future with a relationship with the grounders—he called them savages—she didn’t know what she was supposed to do.  More than anything she wished Bellamy was not inside the Mountain, so they could talk about a plan of action.  Or, at the very least, she had been the one to meet him for his check-in this morning; she had held back on telling the others about the Pike-grounders situation, so unless Octavia or Lincoln had found out anything, Bellamy wouldn’t be getting this stressful update until later.  Her goal was to get something figured out before then, so as to not add another worry to their pile of anxieties.

She smiled in what she hoped was a pleasant manner at the guard at the gate.  “Do you know where I might find Lexa?”

“ _The commander_ should be in her usual receiving chambers, waiting for you, Sky Girl,” he practically spat the moniker.

“Thank you,” she gritted and proceeded into the village.  Well, that was not a great sign.

She politely knocked on the door and waited for Lexa to acknowledge her before entering.

“I wish I were seeing you under better circumstances,” the commander greeted ominously.

“As do I.  I would like to begin by ensuring that you know that _I_ knew nothing about this group of people from the Ark or how they acted upon their arrival until late afternoon yesterday.  I then spent the rest of the day trying to get their faction’s leader to see reason.”

“And did you succeed?”

Clarke clenched her jaw and debated on telling the truth.  One look at Lexa and she came to the same conclusion she had the first time they met:  better to tell the truth now, because she _would_ find out sooner or later.  “No,” she admitted, quickly adding, “But _Pike_ is not on the Council and therefore has no say in political matters or things that affect all of our people.”

“ _You_ are not on the Council, yet you have considerable influence,” Lexa pointed out.

Clarke couldn’t begrudge her the point.  “I am doing all that I can to ensure that the accord is upheld from here on out.”

Lexa steepled her fingers and relaxed back into her throne-like chair.  “I will give you three options, Clarke.  And you will have until tomorrow night in order to decide your course of action.  One, you shun only these people who attacked us from Skai Kru and we will deal with them accordingly.  Two, you and your Gifted at your original camp separate yourselves from the _all_ of your Sky People; we will uphold the accord I agreed upon with you and Bellamy and the others must decide their own fates.  And three, you choose to stand by all of the people with whom you lived in the Sky and you will all share the same fate.

“If you choose option three, we will not stand with you against the Mountain.  And no matter which option you choose, know that myself and my people will not let the actions of this man you call Pike and the people he led go unpunished.  Blood must have blood.”

Clarke closed her eyes briefly in attempt to compose herself.  “Is there any chance we could work something else out?  I know what they did was wrong, but they were attacked and felt the need to defend themselves.  The Council—we will not give up our people up to the slaughter so easily.”

“I have given you three options.  That is more than generous of me; my people were calling for the blood of all of the Sky People as retribution.  It is only by naming them or yourselves a separate clan that you will survive this.  Do you have your answer now?”

She shook her head.

“Then I suggest you discuss it with Bellamy—and your Council if you deem it necessary and tell me your decision by tomorrow evening.  If I receive no response, I will assume you have chosen the third option.  You are dismissed.”

Clarke opened her mouth to retort or argue further or anything that would at the very least buy them more time.

“You are dismissed,” Lexa repeated sharper.

“I need more time to think; there are too many lives at stake!”

“Must I forcibly remove you?  I suggest you use the full breadth of the time I have given you to decide.  Else I may think you have already made your decision and act accordingly.”

Clarke held back a snarl and strode out of the room and then out of the village.  _Why did Bellamy have to fucking act like a goddamn hero and go into the Mountain?  There is way too much shit to deal with on the outside as it stands._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're wondering where Kyle Wick is (because we all want to know where he is in canon—seriously, “He left” is not a good explanation, where the fuck did he go on a radiation soaked planet where he knows NO ONE!!!) keep an eye out for my story "Meanwhile Kyle Wick..." Which will give you answers to where he is and what he has been up to throughout the course of “All My Friends Are Heathens.” And if you happen to want to believe, as myself and my beta do, it also gives tells you what he is up to in canonverse.


	18. This Forking Sucks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke had taken the long route back to the Dropship after her meeting with Lexa. She tried to organize her thoughts, to weigh the options presented before her. Everything felt like it was going up in flames and the more she thought about it, the more frustrated she became.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title inspiration from my binge of The Good Place on Netflix last week.
> 
> Also, I apologize for the delayed update; I’ve been reading and crocheting more than writing. On the upside I’ve finished two books, a scarf, and started two blankets (well, depending on if you count how many times I changed my mind about the pattern for the second one and restarted, I’ve started four blankets).
> 
> Also, my beta told me I should acknowledge and humble-brag the fact I won Best Comedic Author in the Bellarke Fanworks Awards. So thank you all who nominated and/or voted for me. I’m glad some people enjoy my humor; my friends and family usually just give me this look that says, “Really? Really? You think you’re funny?” while I laugh uproariously at my own jokes.

After Bellamy was reminded for the fifth time to ‘be safe’ by his sister and she finally left, he opened himself up to the thoughts of everyone in the Mountain.  He winced at the onslaught; after he mastered Clarke’s river technique he hadn’t really let himself be quite this open and he wasn’t used to it.  But right now it was necessary.  He had been trying to find Jasper’s thought patterns since Miller had brought him inside, but they must have kept Jasper unconscious because Bellamy hadn’t been able to pick him out of the haze of the thoughts throughout the Mountain.  Now that he had a shortlist of other people to seek out, he felt a little bit better about his chances of finding the missing Arkers.

He pushed aside all the panicked thoughts of the people in the bunkroom, and those in the dining hall.  _Harper, she should be easy to detect.  Feel for a thought pattern going faster than the rest._   And that was how he found her, even unconscious, her speed Ability kept her going; hopefully it would help her metabolize whatever had knocked her out in the first place.

 _Harper,_ he tried calling to her.  _Harper!_

At the second call, he noticed her stirring.  Then blazing alarm and terror overwhelmed his senses.  He pulled back a little, but made sure to keep a tether to her thought pattern.

_Harper, it’s Bellamy.  Talk to me.  Tell me what you see._

He sensed bars, cages, and her spotting their fellow Abled in some of them.  _Bellamy?_ the thought came back scared and unsure.

_I’m here, Harper.  What’s going on?  Do you know where you are?_

_No._   Her internal voice sounded far away, lined with other racing thoughts that were trying to grasp her situation.  _I just woke up and, and…there are cages.  We’re in cages.  No one is moving.  Are they dead?_

 _No,_ he quickly reassured her.  _Not dead, just unconscious.  You just metabolize the gas or whatever it was faster because of your speed Ability._

 _Okay, okay._ She still sounded as if she was peering through clouds. Then suddenly, _There’s Jasper!  I see him!  He’s here!  In one of the cages!_  

He caught a glimpse of the man through Harper’s mind’s eye and almost wished he hadn’t.  Jasper looked weak and was covered in scratches and bruises, evidently having fought whenever he was conscious enough to do so.  _That’s great, Harper_ , he told her with semi-false cheer.  _Can you keep talking to me while I try to find a way to you?_

_Yeah.  I’ll um, I’ll try to figure out what I can.  There’s not much to see.  Just a bunch of cages.  But Bellamy?_

_Uh-huh?_

_Most of them are empty.  They’ve already made cages for the rest of us…_

Bellamy sucked in a breath.  He wished he had told Octavia to attack today.  There was no way he would be comfortable leaving his people in cages until Clarke got the grounders and Council on board.  He just hoped there was a way to hide everyone until Clarke and the reinforcements had broken in.

_Try not to worry about it, Harper.  We’re going to get everyone out of here before it comes to that.  Clarke is just waiting to get everything perfectly aligned; the Mountain won’t even know what hit them.  I’m just going to tell Miller and the others I’ve found you.  Everyone in the bunkroom is in a panic._

_I know you can tell exactly how scared I am,_ she admitted.  _But could you not tell Monroe and the others about that bit. I don’t need my worry compacting onto theirs._

Bellamy affirmed her would keep her specific fears out of it and reached out to Miller who was awash with relief at hearing from Bellamy again.  _Please tell me you found them._

_I did.  It’s not good though._

_I didn’t expect it to be._

_They’re in some secluded room.  They’re all in cages.  Jasper’s there, too.  From what I gleamed from Harper, he’s looking a little worse for the wear._

He sensed Miller taking a deep breath to calm himself.  _At least he’s alive; at least they’re all alive.  Can you get to them?_

 _I’m going to try.  I just, I just don’t know what we’re going to do after._ He admitted reluctantly.  _It’s not like I can bring them back here; I’ve been hiding in closets.  And what’s to stop the Mountain Men from coming to take more of you?_

_I know.  I’m trying to think of what to do.  But right now I just want to get everyone out of immediate danger.  Monty and I were talking; we’re thinking about barricading ourselves in the bunkroom.  We’ve got water, but not really any food.  I don’t know how long we’d last._

_No chance you can Phase everyone to someplace else, just to throw them off?_

Miller shook his head, feeling frustrated at his failings.  _Same problem as with getting out of the Mountain that way:  it’d take too long, and I don’t know if I’d be able to continually Phase for the length of time it would take._

_That’s what I figured, but I thought I’d ask.  Anyone else in there have an Ability that could help?_

_We’ll ask around, but I’m not sure._

_More and more I’m wishing there was a way to contact Clarke and the others aside from my stupid check-in at sunrise.  Fuck, if only I hadn’t sent O away before I fully sussed out the situation._

_Too late for ifs and wishes…just get them out of the cages and maybe find another room to hole up in.  Somehow I don’t think you’d make it back here with all of them in tow._

_Agreed.  I’ll keep you as up-to-date as I can._

_Thanks, man.  Stay safe._

_You too._

Bellamy switched back to Harper’s thoughts, standing up from his cramped seat, limbs creaking.  _Alright Harper, I’m on my way.  Hold tight._

_Thanks, Bellamy._

He peeked out from the closet he was in and began to slink down the corridor, determination echoing in every step.

 

* * *

 

 

Clarke had taken the long route back to the Dropship after her meeting with Lexa.  She tried to organize her thoughts, to weigh the options presented before her.  Everything felt like it was going up in flames and the more she thought about it, the more frustrated she became.  And the more frustrated she became, the more she wanted to talk to Bellamy.  Yes, in part it was because he was the second leader of their ragtag group of Abled, but it was also because she wanted that support and comfort she felt whenever she was in his presence. 

She shook her head and scurried through the foxhole and into the Dropship’s camp.  Lexa didn’t need a decision until tomorrow, so Clarke could technically talk to him at his check-in tomorrow morning.  It was just a debate on whether she should pile this onto all the problems he was likely already facing inside the Mountain. 

“Clarke’s back,” Murphy announced from his post near one of the firepits, Raven was tinkering with something a few feet away.  The two of them were never far from each other lately.  Murphy had been more openly affectionate and protective since the raid.  Raven acted as though it was a great annoyance to be by him almost all the time, but Clarke knew she felt otherwise.

Octavia hopped down from guard post and walked over.  “What’d Lexa want?” she asked at the same time Clarke inquired, “What did Bellamy say?”

They chuckled.  “My meeting with Lexa is going to get us talking for a while.  I’d rather get the update from inside the Mountain.”  _Just to see how bad our situation actually is,_ she added in her head.

Octavia heaved a sigh and sat down, so they could all hear.  “Yeah, mine isn’t going to be a quick convo either.  You should probably sit.”

Clarke obliged and looked expectantly at the other girl.

“So, to put it simply:  everything is going to shit.”

“You can say that again,” Raven muttered.

“Everything’s going to shit,” Murphy shot her a smile.

Octavia raised her eyebrows in annoyance at him before continuing.  “Basically, they’re doing experiments on our people and prepared to kill to keep doing them.  Clarke, you were at Exodus, so you didn’t hear before, but Lincoln and I ran into some crazed, violent people last night while hunting.  They’re one of the Mountain’s experiments.  They used Jasper’s blood to create monsters.”  Murphy clenched his hands into tight fists. When Murphy had helped Jasper gain control over his Ability, the two of them had formed and unlikely friendship.  Clarke had originally thought it to be mostly Jasper fawning over Murphy, but it looked like it was more two-sided. 

“What else?  How’s Bellamy?” Clarke asked, hoping there weren’t going to be any other factors to add to her list of why their attack on the Mountain was going to be next to impossible.  This just confirmed they would need the numbers the grounders would provide.

“Bell’s fine.  But he had to stop our chat quick because something else happened.”  She braced herself before continuing.  “More people went missing.  Bell went to go check it out.  He said he’d tell us what he finds out at the check-in tomorrow morning.”

Clarke’s mind immediately raced off with images of worst case scenarios.  She took a deep breath, closing her eyes to reel it back in.  There was nothing she could do for them at this exact moment.  Their best hope was for her to do what she could out here, so that she could lay siege as soon as possible and get them the fuck out of there.

Opening her eyes, she gave the group a wry smile.  “And now to pile the shit on top of the manure, Lexa gave us an ultimatum.  In short, separate from the people from Mecha or make an enemy of the grounders.”

“What the fuck?” Raven exclaimed.  “We just got a peace accord with them and now they’re back-tracking?”

Clarke shook her head, waving off the others’ objections so she could explain.  “They have a valid reason.  Apparently as soon as Mecha station landed, they started a war with the nearby grounders, and razed entire villages.” Shocked was etched into the features of everyone who was listening.

“Jus drein, jus daun,” Octavia muttered.  “Blood must have blood.”

Clarke nodded solemnly.  “Exactly.  Lexa and the clans are going after the people from Mecha.  She said that is set in stone, but those of us at the Dropship have three options:  convince Exodus to hand over Mecha Station, separate ourselves from both Exodus and Mecha, or stand with them and be slaughtered.”

“So, let me get this straight,” Murphy spoke up.  “We can separate ourselves from the people who basically hate our guts and have been dragging their feet about getting our people out of the Mountain or we can stand with them and be killed?  I say that’s a pretty easy decision.”

Octavia huffed a laugh.  “Plus, after all the things they’ve put me through my entire life, I say let them know a taste of fear and the edge of a sword.”

“You’re willing to throw a hundred people’s lives away to save your own skin?” Clarke asked incredulously.

“Not just our skin,” Octavia countered. “That of everyone in the Mountain.  You really think we can succeed against the Mountain Men without help?  And you _know_ Lexa and the clans are going to be more help with that than anyone from the Ark, especially since the Abled are in _our_ camp on _our_ side.”

Clarke could see Octavia’s and Murphy’s point, but it didn’t make her feel any better.

“Get on the coms and talk to the Council or at least your mom or Kane.  We can’t just throw this at them blind.  They deserve a voice in the decision, too,” Raven voiced. 

“I will, but what’s _your_ opinion, Rae?” Clarke asked.

Raven cocked her head, as if confirming her words would accurately describe her thoughts.  “I’m with you.  I can’t easily condemn so many people, but I see Lexa’s point and I see Murphy’s.  Personally, I just want our people out of Mount Weather.  Right now, I feel like they’re in more danger than we are.  The grounders are giving us and option for survival; that’s something our people in Mount Weather don’t have.”

Clarke nodded and stood.  “I’m going to go see if my mom can talk.”  She stopped her trek into the Dropship and looked back, mostly to Octavia.  “Should I even mention this to Bellamy tomorrow?”

She looked like she debated for a moment before a wry smile appeared on her face.  “He’d be pissed if you kept it from him.  Granted, you’d be hard-pressed to with the whole telepathy thing, but you get my drift.”

Clarke was surprised by the bark of laughter than bubbled out of her mouth.  “You’re right.  He’d probably tell me how dumb it is to try to hide something I’m shouting at him.”

Octavia tried to smother a smile.  “I’m just hoping you ‘shout’ your love profession at him too.”

“You told her!” Clarke accused. 

Raven just shrugged.  “She told me something about Bellamy, I told her something about you.”

She opened her mouth to ask what Octavia had said about Bellamy, but snapped her jaw closed, not wanting to open the can of worms and teasing that would result.  “I’m going to talk to Exodus,” she huffed and walked away.

Walking into the Dropship, she plunked herself down in front of the coms station and hit the call button.  Before long, the static and fuzzy picture resolved into someone.  “Hey, Clarke.  What’s up?”

“Oh hi, Riley,” she greeted the little girl.  “You have to be the youngest coms tech I’ve met.  Raven’s going to be so jealous her title as the youngest person in tech and engineering is at risk.”

The girl giggled happily.  “I’m not really a coms tech, Clarke.  I was just dropping off dad’s lunch and Sinclair said I could answer the coms if somewhat from the Dropship called.  I thought it was going to be boring, but then you called.”

Clarke gave Riley a smile.  “Glad I could make a boring job fun.  What are the chances you could get my mom to come to coms?”

“I can go get her from medbay!” Riley said excitedly before running off without a goodbye.

Clarke settled back in the seat to wait.  About ten minutes later, her mom came into view, Kane sitting himself next to her.  “I hope you don’t mind, I joined your mother,” he greeted.  “I thought it was probably related to your meeting with Lexa, but if it’s a family matter I can go.”

Clarke shook her head.  “No, it’s fine, you’re right.” She took a preparatory breath before explaining Lexa’s “blood must have blood” ultimatum and their resulting options, trying not to let her own frustrations with the situation bleed into her tone too much.

Her mom grimaced.  “Not exactly what I wanted to hear, but basically what I expected.”

Kane and Clarke nodded their agreement.

“I thought you could tell Pike and the Council the options she gave us and help come up with a solution, preferably one that doesn’t end in dozens of deaths.  I have until tomorrow night to deliver an answer.”

“We’ll call a meeting immediately,” Kane assured her.  “You might want to get over here as soon as you can though.  Explain exactly what she said and the consequences.  Maybe bring Octavia with you; her relationship with Lincoln has helped her gain some great perspective on how the grounders think.”

She nodded, smiling.  “I’ll see if she’ll come.  We’ll be at Exodus in a couple hours.  There are a few things I want to check up on at my own camp.”

 

...

 

“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this,” Octavia grumbled as they neared Exodus.  “I hate this camp.  And I’m pretty sure no one here is all too fond of me either.”

“Lincoln has told you more than any of us know about the grounders’ traditions and such.  Maybe you’ll be able to make the Council see reason or find us something that would allow Lexa to not judge the whole of Arkadia so harshly.”

“I doubt that.  Pike declared war by slaughtering innocents.  If Lexa let that slide in even the slightest way, she’d be risking her place as commander.  I don’t know if you know this, but she’s already made changes, united the clans more than they have been in the past; there are plenty of geda who would happily see her fall from power.”

Clarke gritted her teeth.  “Wish I had known that before.  It all makes a little more sense now.  But it also is probably going to make the type of peace I want all the more difficult.”

“Lincoln said you were lucky to get the agreement you got in the first place, but there’s no way to get out of this one.  _Jus drein, jus daun._ ”

“Well, here’s hoping Lincoln is at least a little wrong about that,” Clarke told the other woman as she unslung the rifle and handed it to the guard on duty without another word.

Octavia looked at the guard questioningly.  “What if I just don’t give my weapons to you?”

“You’ll be refused entrance to camp and if you enter anyway you will be detained and taken into custody.”

“Just hand over your machetes and two daggers,” Clarke said, pointedly not mentioning the other weapons Octavia more than likely had about her person. “You’ll get them back when we leave.”

Octavia reluctantly handed over her weapons.  “If there’s so much as a scratch on any of these I will know, and I will make the same scratch on your skin,” she threatened.

As they made their way further into camp, Bryne sidled up next to Clarke.  “I hope you’re ready to get another bracelet,” she sneered.  Clarke looked at her dumbfoundedly.  “Pike and Sidney are breaking the ones we have out of storage.”

“What?” Clarke demanded at the same time Octavia threatened Bryne with bodily harm if she even tried to put another bracelet on either of them.

“You’ll see soon enough,” the guardswoman practically sang before she stepped away from the girls as they made their way into the ship.

Clarke picked up the pace and hurried into the Councilroom.  She could hear the shouting before she even got there.

“We are not going to them like lambs for the slaughter!” Pike voice rose.

“No one is suggesting that,” Abby’s came back, sounding frustrated as if this wasn’t the first time she had said this.  It had been at least two hours since Clarke had called on the coms, if they had been in a meeting since then and still gotten nowhere…

“What is going on?” Clarke called over the fray.

Five heads whipped in her and Octavia’s direction.  “And look she brought her traitorous mutant friend with her,” Diana sneered.

Clarke took a subtle step in front of Octavia who looked like she was liable to lunge at the older woman.  Octavia was going to be even worse than trying to hold back Bellamy if Diana continued on this vein.

“This is good timing, Clarke,” Kane spoke up.  “Perhaps we can return to our seats and try to talk about this rationally now that we’ve had a momentary break in the shouting matches.”

“A welcomed idea,” Jaha pronounced.

“No,” Pike refused.  “I just need one question answered from her and then I will act how I see fit.”

Jaha’s tone gathered the full weight of his position behind it.  “You are not the Chancellor, nor are you even a member of the Council.  You have no authority with which to decide action.”

Pike fixed the Chancellor with a hard look.  “I kept all of those from Mecha alive to the best of my ability because your ‘authority’ was nowhere to be found.  Plus, I believe I have the support of perhaps the only rational member of the Council behind me.” He nodded to Diana.  “So, Clarke, is what Kane said true?  The grounders want my head and those from Mecha on a stick?”

“No, that’s not what she said,” Clarke began to protest.

“But that is what she meant.”

“The whole reason we’re here is to try to find a different solution.  No one is trying to get you and the people from Mecha killed.”

“Do you think the savages can be reasoned with?  They murder without a second thought.”

Clarke clenched her jaw before slowly articulating her thoughts, each word clipped.  “Before you came, we had an accordance with them.  We negotiated a sustainable peace that could very well have lasted for years.  They are reasonable people.”

Diana scoffed.

“‘Reasonable people’ don’t attack without reason as they did to us.”

“They had their reasons,” Octavia spoke up.  “And they have even more reasons now.  You’ve destroyed their villages, killed their children.”

Diana scoffed, “Like I said a mutant and a traitor.”

Clarke cut off Octavia’s retort.  “We’re getting nowhere!  This is the argument we had yesterday.  Today we need to talk about a solution.”

“And what do you propose?” Pike snapped.  “Because all the options their barbarian queen gave you ended in mine and my followers’ deaths.”

“She’s not a bar—” Clarke stopped herself from arguing semantics again.  “And if you would calm down we could try to think of another way around it.”

“Your accordance was based on mutants going to their villages,” Diana began.  “Why do we not just exchange the lives of mutants for the lives of the people from Mecha?  They can work you, kill you, do whatever they please.”

Octavia was standing in an instant, snarling and reaching for her weapons.  Clarke felt her jaw drop.  “Are you fucking kidding me!?”

“Ladies,” Kane reprimanded before turning a stony gaze on the Councilwoman.  “I sorely hope you are not suggesting to sell the Abled to the grounders like they are less than people.”

Pike responded for her, “Not sell, an exchange.  They want our mutants; we want to live.  It’s a win-win situation.”

Abby regarded Pike and Diana coldly.  “I have half a mind to let the grounders have you after that comment.”

“That is my solution.  Take it or leave it,” Pike returned unperturbed.

“If that is what you want, we will leave it and you,” Jaha spoke for the first time since the argument began.  “The Abled are part of the Ark and I have seen how they have helped us create our society,” he spared a small smile to Clarke.  “I will not have them slaughtered or used in the place of someone who has murdered, even if it was in self-defense.”

“Annihilating a village is _not_ self-defense,” Octavia put in, anger still etched in every line of her body.

“If that is what you have decided, myself and my followers will return to Mecha. And you will know this:  you now have an enemy of us as well.  We hope the savages are as reasonable and trustworthy as you seem to believe they are, because you will no longer have an ally in us.” He walked to the door, stopping next to it.  Diana passed through it and waited outside.  “We will take what we need from Exodus—including the bracelets for the mutants if any wander into our camp, and return to Mecha.  You will remain in this room until we are gone to prevent troubles.”

“Not bloody likely,” Abby said standing and striding toward the door.  But Pike closed it before she made it there.  Abby yanked on the handle, but the door was locked.  She punched in a number on the keypad, but it beeped out an error.  “They changed the number,” she said, disbelieving.

“They only could have done this if they planned it beforehand,” Kane mused.

Octavia started laughing.  “At least you have your answer for Lexa,” she told Clarke.

She joined the laughter and then nearly doubled over in her seat.  “Do you remember what Raven said when the bracelets were in that fire?”

Kane raised an eyebrow.

“The bracelets won’t work.  The smoke.  Even if they work for a bit, they’ll overheat and stop working.”

Then Kane started chuckling along with them.

Jaha gave them all an incredulous look, “We’re locked in here and you’re laughing?”

The corners of Abby’s lips began to twitch, but she kept herself from letting a giggle escape.  “Sinclair will have us out soon,” she reassured Jaha.  “If he can’t do it, he’ll get Raven over here.”

Clarke’s mind drifted away from the laughter and toward their next major obstacle.  Sure, Pike might have made their decision for them in regards to Lexa’s ultimatum.  But she still had to deal with half of their people being taken by Mount Weather and apparently going missing from within it, too.

 

* * *

 

 

Bellamy pulled back into a doorway and out of sight of the two guards who were coming to the junction of the hallways.  He let go of the breath he held when they continued on their way.  People knowing the place like the back of their hand was not conductive to them consciously thinking about the direction in which they were heading and sooner or later it was going to come back to bite him.

He eased himself back down his path.  _I think I’m getting close, Harper._  He reassured her.  _Definitely on the same floor._

_Nearly everyone’s awake now.  Jasper’s doing his best to calm everyone, but he’s avoiding saying exactly what they did to him._

_I’m gonna see if he’ll talk to me, really quick. And don’t tell anyone I’m on my way yet.  Not until I know I can do something for you._

_Got it._

_Jasper?  Jas?  You there?  It’s Bellamy._

_I’m trying to think of a joke, but it’s not coming._ Jasper replied. _Something about me hearing voices again or you not being the only one who gets in my head.  You get the picture._

Bellamy heaved a sigh of relief.  If Jasper was even attempting to joke he couldn’t be in _too_ bad of shape.  _It’s good to hear from you.  How you holding up?_

 _As good as to be expected.  I’m exhausted.  They’ve—_ he stuttered over the memories— _they’ve been taking a lot of blood.  I heard them say something about bone marrow, but I don’t know._ Bellamy sensed a trailing thought about wishing Clarke was there.

_We’re going to get you out of there.  I’m working on it from in here; Clarke’s working on it from out there.  We’ll get you out and you’ll be right as rain._

_Yeah, tell Clarke I’m gonna need her on standby.  I can’t even use my Ability, I’m so tired and drained.  And “drained” is a really bad choice of words.  I’m gonna take that back._

Bellamy chuckled.  _Whatever you say._

He sensed some more thought patterns coming his direction and ducked into the nearest room, pressing against the part of the door that didn’t have a window.  Thank the gods it was unlocked.  Then he heard an electronic click and the lights flickered on in the room.  His breath caught in his throat and he reached for his weapons, ready for a fight.

But no one else was in the room.  Just a sterile white room with a bed, small table, and a stool.  It put him in the mind of the private rooms of medbay back on the Ark.

He closed his eyes as he fully realized the situation he was probably in.  He pulled on the handle of the door.  It didn’t budge.  He pulled again with one last hope.  Nothing.

A smirking man with slicked back brown hair came into view of the small window.  “You thought you were so smart, didn’t you?  Sneaking around.  I wonder what your Power is that you could find your friends.  If it’s any comfort, you just had to nip around two more corners and past another secured door and you would have made it to them.”

“We’re going to get them out of here,” Bellamy snarled.

“Oh really?  You and what army?  Your friends are either trapped in my little cages or locked up in their bunkroom.  And you’re here.  You’ll be with your friends soon though.  Ah, perfect timing, Emerson.”

Another man joined the first and handed him a gas mask before putting on his own.  Reading their thoughts, Bellamy immediately recognized the plans for the red knock-out gas.  He ripped off his jacket and shirt and began stuffing them along the crack under the door.

“Interesting,” the first man mused, watching him.

“No gas is getting in here now.  At least not enough to knock me out.  You’re going to have to find another way if you think I’m going to let you drain me of my blood.”

“Truly interesting.  But we can wait you out.  This door locks from the outside, so you’re not going anywhere.”

The two men walked away casually, leaving Bellamy seething.

He reached out to Miller.  _We have a problem…_


	19. The Molehill before the Mountain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Monty chuckled a little. “I can picture it now. Clarke casually storming into the Mountain, shouting for Bellamy. She finds us first, and once she checks everyone for injuries says, ‘Two lefts and then take the stairs straight out. Now, tell me where Bellamy is.’ And then she’s off again storming the castle. When she finally finds him, she smacks him aside the head, and yells at him for proving her right that him going in was a bad idea.”  
> “You’re leaving out the part in which as soon as Clarke is in range, Bellamy starts freaking out and yelling at her for putting herself in danger.”  
> The two men dissolved into laughter. Monty sighed out the last of his laughs. “If only…"

Bellamy paced the length of the room for what felt like the millionth time.  One of the first things he had done was take out the camera in the room, but it still didn’t do him much good when guards were routinely walking past the door and checking on him.  He suppressed another growl as he saw one peer in at him through the window.

His pacing was half trying to work off his frustrations at being trapped and useless, half trying to keep himself awake.  The one time he had allowed himself to nod off last night, he had woken to one of the guards radioing that he was asleep and they could make a move.  Since then he had kept himself awake, only taking light cat naps.  And those were only because Miller reminded him that if he didn’t get some sleep, sooner or later he would crash whether he liked it or not.

His pacing also fueled his temper over the worst part of last night:  when the scientists had gone into the room with the cages and taken some of the Arkers.  He could still hear echoes of their panicked thoughts.  He had forced himself to follow the events the best he could, a kind of penance for not being able to get them out of the cages on time.  The Mountain Men had grabbed Roma and brought her to a laboratory where they drilled into her bones for marrow extraction.  They returned her to her cage and continued the process down the line.  Bellamy had felt each of their pain.  He had screamed his anger and bloodied his hand against the wall wishing there was something he could do.  Though he hadn’t understood the science in Dr. Tsing’s thoughts, he could tell she was happy with the results.

He stopped his pacing for a moment and slid down the wall, leaning his head against it once he was finally seated.  He sent out feelers to try to see how close guards were and if he could fit in another cat nap.  If, no, _when_ he finally found a way out of this accursed room, he would need to not be dead on his feet.  The guards weren’t currently headed in his direction, so he closed his eyes, but reached toward the control room, which he now realized was where he should have been focusing when he got caught.

Then he sensed a presence a bit further away, one that was probably the thought pattern with which he was most familiar after Octavia’s.  It must be sunrise already.  _Thank the fucking gods.  Clarke!_ He called out to her. 

She gave no indication of having heard him.  Apprehension and worry were rolling off her in waves.  _Bellamy Blake!  Where the fuck are you?  I’ve been here for ten minutes and you’re starting to worry me._

 _I’m here.  I’m here._  He sent back to her rapidly, attempting to send the thought a little further than before.

 _Seriously, Bellamy.  There’s enough shit going on out here, I don’t need you going M.I.A. to top it off.  You’re supposed to be safe in there.  You’re supposed to get us information so we can attack.  Every sunrise means_ every _sunrise.  You dropping out of orbit is not on the agenda.  I need to talk to you…I need you._ The last bit was an echo, a thought not projected to him, but he heard anyway.  She sounded scared and that was not a feeling he was used to getting from her.  But no sooner had he identified that feeling, he felt her push it aside with strong determination.

 _Clarke!_  He called to her louder.  But he was too many levels down, too many meters of rock and mountain between them.  She still couldn’t hear his projections.  He immediately switched tactics.  _Miller!  Miller!_

A grumbling reply came.  _I swear to the gods, Blake.  I just finished my watch shift and barely got asleep and now you’re yelling in my head._

_Clarke’s here.  She’s outside, but she can’t hear me._

He felt Miller’s hope flare before it was quickly extinguished by the time he finished his message.  _I know what you’re thinking, man.  But there’s no way I can get to her before she leaves.  I’d have to avoid cameras and guards if I wanted to get out safely and that takes time.  Plus, there’s no way in hell I’m leaving Monty and the others in here by themselves; I’m their only hope of getting out of this room once we think of a better place to hide._

Bellamy’s own hope fell.  _Yeah, okay.  I get it.  We need to figure another way to get in contact with her and the others then.  Not that we haven’t been thinking on it, but you get my drift.  If I know anything about Clarke, it’s that she’s jumping to the worst conclusions right now and she’s going to get herself in trouble; force her way into the Mountain or something crazy like that._

_She’s not that stupid.  She’s not going to charge in here half-cocked; she’ll have a plan._

_Yeah, one that isn’t fully formulated and will probably put her directly in the path of danger._

_You mean like your plan?_

_BELLAMY, I DON’T KNOW YOU’RE MIDDLE NAME, BLAKE!!!_ Clarke’s screaming thoughts brought his attention back to her.Damn that woman could think louder than anyone he had ever met.

 _What is it?_ He thought back to her, even though he knew she couldn’t hear him.

_I’m going to fucking murder you the next time I see you.  I’ve decided it.  I’ll find a way to get the drop on you and you’ll be dead before you hear my gloating thoughts.  Where are you?_

_Right here, Princess,_ he couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle at her threats.

 _Okay.  I can’t waste the day waiting on you. Too much shit to deal with and now I know we’ve got to make a move on the Mountain sooner than later.  I just hope the grounders are ready to move._ He sensed something else, some drama with the grounders that had her worried, but seemed somehow resolved; he couldn’t quite make out what exactly happened, though.

 _Come on, Clarke,_ he urged. _Elaborate.  Please!  Your mind is a mess and I don’t have the time to sort through everything to get at what you’re referring to._ Despite his words, he did his best to gleam the origin of her projected thoughts.  All he got was something about Mecha and Charles Pike, violence.  He didn’t know what the old Earth Skills teacher had to do with anything, but he gathered it was nothing good.

_Alright.  Well, apparently you’re not coming.  So, yes, expect your imminent death as soon as your out of danger.  I’ll probably recruit Octavia, too.  She’s not going to be happy when I tell her you didn’t show._

As she sent this last thought, Bellamy felt her presence reluctantly walking away.  He kicked at the corner of the bed in frustration, sending it skidding across the floor.  _Miller.  Something’s wrong on the outside of the Mountain.  I couldn’t quite figure it out.  But the grounders might not be helping us._

_Seriously?  I thought you and Clarke talked to their leader.  You had an accord!_

_I don’t understand it either.  Whatever it is felt like it was resolved, but at the same time she was still a little worried.   And it’s not like I could ask Clarke what she meant._ He growled.  Miller got the brunt of his frustration.  His Abilities were supposed to help him, not make him feel even more useless.

_I get it man.  We’re all pissed and frustrated right now.  Monty had an idea.  You said the guards only come by every once in a while?_

_My guess would be around every thirty minutes._

_Do you think if you get a feel for a certain person through Jasper, you’d be able to seek her out?_

_You’re talking about Maya._

_Yeah.  We’ve been toying with the idea of getting her help.  She and Jasper have been practically joined at the hip since we got here and she’s expressed her worry about his disappearance—well, before we locked ourselves in here.  She’s still got the run of the Mountain, so she might be able to get you out of there._

_Worth a try_ , he admitted.

 

* * *

 

 

Clarke worried her lip with her teeth as she walked away from the Mountain feeling more anxious than she had before her early morning trek.  Bellamy wasn’t answering and she was more than a little pissed at the situation.  Well, she was a lot of other things too, but she decided to focus on being pissed at him rather than let the other emotions take hold.

Sinclair had indeed gotten them out of the Council room late yesterday evening.  After which she promptly called Raven and Murphy back at the Dropship and told them what had happened.  She had wanted to then go and inform Lexa and start to formalize plans for attacking the Mountain, but even Octavia told her to wait rather than risk getting caught in the middle of the forest at night.  So the two of them had spent the night at Exodus.  The next morning, Octavia went to meet up with Lincoln and Clarke went to go check-in with Bellamy.  Except he didn’t check in and now she was trying to sort out her bundle of nerves as she made her way to TonDC.

The only reason Bellamy wouldn’t check in is if he couldn’t, and that knowledge was forming a pit in her stomach.  They needed to get inside the Mountain and get their people out. N _ow_.  She worked on her own plans for the attack, trying to ignore the place where the plans always got stuck, the place where they needed more intel on the inside ongoings of the Mountain, the reason Bellamy had entered the Mountain.  Thinking about Bellamy only got her more frustrated, so she’d swing back to planning mode.  Her thoughts were going in circles.

The snap of a stick underfoot came from behind her.  Immediately, she swung the rifle off her back and into her hands.  Octavia stepped into the open her hands in the air.  “Had I been wanting to kill you and not notify you of my presence with that twig, you’d be dead,” she greeted.  Lincoln stepped up beside her.

“Then it was a good thing it was you.”  Clarke lowered the weapon.

Lincoln peered at her face.  “You’re usually not so oblivious to your surroundings,” he observed.

“Distracted, I guess.  I’m trying to think of the best way to get Bellamy and the others out of the Mountain and then subsequently murder Bellamy.”

“What’d he do?” Octavia asked, falling into step with Clarke as they continued toward TonDC.  Her tone was light, assuming Bellamy had only said something minor that pissed Clarke off, their typical interaction.

“Not show up for check-in.”

Octavia’s step stuttered.  “Do you think he’s okay?”

Clarke shook her head sadly.  “You know the answer to that.”

“How soon are we going in?”

Clarke gave her a wry smile.  “I’m telling Lexa about the Pike situation and then I want to get everyone set up for the raid.  We’ve had our entrance planned since the beginning:  Raven and Kane.  The reason Bellamy went in was to get us more information, but if he’s MIA, I’d rather not wait.”

“The clans have been wanting revenge on the Mountain for decades,” Lincoln chimed in.  “Especially TriKru since we are so close.  It will not take much convincing on our part, as long as you resolve your other problem with the _heda_.”

Clarke smiled, “I’m sure Octavia told about the Pike situation you as soon as she saw you.  And I’m sure she’d be happy to personally join you on your attack against Diana and Pike after some of the things they said.”

Lincoln blushed slightly, Clarke having called him on something he assumed he wasn’t supposed to know already.  Octavia, on the other hand, bubbled a laugh and grinned at Clarke.  “You know me too well.”

“So, are you going to join me when I talk with Lexa or are you going to run off and do something else?”

“You really do know me too well,” Octavia continued to grin.

Lincoln chuckled.  “Many people are actually a little impressed with your relaxed attitude toward the _heda_ ; she’s intimidating enough without the extra title.”

“Intimidating?” Clarke cocked her head.

“You have never seen her fight, but it is truly a sight to behold.”

Clarke updated her assessment of Lexa.  But had she given it more than a second’s thought, the idea of the commander being a well-respected warrior as well as Gifted is the only thing that would make sense.

The three of them chatted as they walked, topics ranging from the mundane to the best strategies to use against the Mountain.  Before long, they entered the grounder village and Clarke made her way to the building in which she always met with Lexa.  It was empty.  Clarke peered around for a second before realizing how ridiculous it was to expect Lexa to be simply waiting for Clarke to return; she obviously had other things to do aside from wait for a response from Clarke.

She strode over to the map they had been using at the last war council meeting, hoping it would inspire a new part of the plan against Mount Weather.  She pulled out the sheet of parchment beneath the map which held the sketches she had made based on what Octavia and Murphy remembered from the heist.  It looked like they would have to go down a few levels before they there were potential places to hide the Arkers, but it would give them time to organize after they got inside.

“I assume you have an answer for me,” Lexa broke her concentration.

Clarke turned around quickly to meet the gaze of the other woman.  “I do.”

Lexa raised a sculpted eyebrow in question.

“Pike, Diana, and others have decided they would rather take their chances on their own.  We have decided to let them; we will not stand in your way if you choose to go after them.”

She nodded knowingly.  “My scouts saw them leaving yesterday.  If you are simply giving them a head start to try to evade my warriors, know they will be caught and brought to justice.”

Clarke tilted her chin defiantly.  “As I said, we will not stand in your way.  We were,” she chose her word carefully, “detained yesterday until dark, so I could not inform you of their departure myself.”

“As long as you understand what will befall them and anyone who has a change of heart in regards to the fate of Pike and his people.”

“The matter is settled then?  Our accord will stand strong?”

“It will.”

Clarke internalized her breath of relief; she did not want to let Lexa in on exactly how worried she had been.  “We can discuss the Mountain then,” she turned back to the map.

“You have new information from inside?” Lexa asked, there was the barest hint of surprise at how quickly she thought they had gained intel.

“That’s the problem.  Bellamy didn’t respond when I tried to contact him this morning.  Something is wrong and we need to move now.”

“You’re asking the impossible.”

“It’s not impossible.  I can have everyone from the Dropship mobilized in little to no time; Exodus, those who are coming, could be ready shortly after.”

“And why did we not attack before?  We wanted more information on the enemy, their internal workings.  You just informed me we are as blind as before.”

“They’ve taken people.  Before they were treating them kindly, now they’re missing from their beds.”

“The Mountain Men have been taking people from my clans for years.  While we mourn their loss, we have not thought it wise to move against the Mountain without fully knowing the dangers.  We are in the same position now, only with your people, who are inexperienced in warfare such as this.”

Clarke met her gaze harshly.  “My people are suffering in there.  The last intelligence we received said they were being tortured and drained of their blood.  I will not let that happen to any more people if I can help it.  Bellamy went in there to try to protect them, and now he is missing, too.”

Lexa hummed.  “I see what it is now.” Clarke looked at her incredulously.  “You’re worried about your partner.”

“He’s not—” she began to protest, but it was just an argument that would put them off track of actually planning.  “Yes, yes I am.”

“Do you not trust him to protect himself?  Bellamy is a strong warrior, perhaps one of the strongest among your people.”

“I do.  But that doesn’t mean a strong warrior can’t end up in a compromised position.  And if the Mountain Men know he is there; they will know that others are not far behind.  If we don’t act, we’ll lose our advantage.”

Lexa seemed to contemplate what Clarke said.  Eventually, Clarke saw her eyes soften slightly.  “I lost my partner because I did not act quickly enough to help her.  I will try not to let the same fate befall you.  The TriKru warriors can join you if you see the necessity to act now.  If you can wait three days, other clans will be able to send warriors.”

“We will gladly accept the aid of the TriKru.  I will leave it up to yourself, Octavia, and those you appoint to organize the warriors.  You know my basic plan and where I intend for you to enter the Mountain.”

“And what will you be doing?”

“I’m getting in there tonight if I can.  Raven has been working on hacking into their communication and radio systems, so Miller and Bellamy could have another way to reach us.  Now, I am hoping she’ll succeed so that I can feed you information, as well.”

“You are a brave one, Clarke kom SkaiKru.”

 _No,_ Clarke returned in her mind.  _I’m just one who is stupidly worried enough to be reckless._

 

* * *

 

 

“What are we going to do?” Monty whispered, leaning his head against Miller’s shoulder in defeat.  “I thought it was bad when we first got here, but now people are missing, experiments are being done on them, the rest of us are barricaded in this room, and the person who was supposed to be helping us escape is stuck in a completely different room.”

Miller reached over, lacing their fingers together, he squeezed reassuringly.  “We’re going to get out of here.  You really think Clarke is going to abandon us?  Especially after Bellamy didn’t make his check-in this morning?”

Monty chuckled a little.  “I can picture it now.  Clarke casually storming into the Mountain, shouting for Bellamy.  She finds us first, and once she checks everyone for injuries says, ‘Two lefts and then take the stairs straight out.  Now, tell me where Bellamy is.’ And then she’s off again storming the castle.  When she finally finds him, she smacks him aside the head, and yells at him for proving her right that him going in was a bad idea.”

“You’re leaving out the part in which as soon as Clarke is in range, Bellamy starts freaking out and yelling at her for putting herself in danger.”

The two men dissolved into laughter.  Monty sighed out the last of his laughs.  “If only…Do you think Bellamy will be able to reach Maya and that she’ll help him?”

Miller nodded.  “I think so.  I’m just hoping she doesn’t freak out too much when she first hears his voice in her head.  It makes me jump every time and I know about his Ability.”

“I mean, she technically knows about Bellamy and his Ability.  But knowing is not the same as experiencing it.”  He stood abruptly, his hands shaking in frustration.  “I want to _do_ something.  This sitting around here is going to drive me insane.”

“I know,” Miller tried to placate.  “But what else can we do?  Keeping everyone in here safe and calm is probably the best thing we can do right now.”

“You can Phase out of here!”

He shook his head vehemently.  “I’m not leaving you.”

Monty didn’t stop.  “You could get to Bellamy, get to Clarke, do something that isn’t sitting here waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

“Sure, but when that other shoe drops, I want to be _here_ , so that I can get _you_ out, too.”

“Fine, then don’t go far, get to a radio, Raven could probably hear your call; I’d bet pretty much anything she’s been working to get into their tech system since we first got taken.”

“Their radios probably have some security protocols or something.”

“It’s not hard to hack in when you’re already on the inside.  Raven’s probably only struggling because she doesn’t know where to begin to look.”

“You talk about hacking like it’s a piece of cake.”

“It is.  How do you think my and Jasper’s antics on the Ark went undetected for so many years?  The Ark’s security cameras were a joke.”

“Wait, you’re a hacker?” Miller asked, an idea already forming in his mind.

“Yes.  Did you not know that?  I geeked out with Raven over her tech Abilities within the first week of being on the ground.”

“Huh.  I must have missed that.  So, you really think you could hack into the Mountain’s radios and reach Raven?”

“If she’s trying to reach us, sure.”

A grin broke out on Miller’s face.  “Then that’s what we’re going to do.”

 

...

 

 

“And we’re in,” Monty turned to smile at Miller mischievously.  They were currently in a closet that was just above the security room.  It was filled with wires and boxes and Miller was sure it was a fire hazard waiting to happen.

Monty had immediately grabbed a small laptop like object and began attaching it to various wires before he had grinned triumphantly, sat down, and started typing.  Miller’s heart was in his throat.  It had taken them the better part of two hours to get to this room, trying to avoid cameras and guards.  His Ability had let them know when someone was near them; he just hoped they had spotted all the cameras before the people watching the cameras spotted them.

He glanced over at Monty who was still typing furiously, but the happiness at finally doing something productive was radiating off him.  “Why didn’t we think to do this before?” Monty asked.

Miller shrugged.  “I’m not capable of something like this, so the option never really occurred to me.”

“So, you’re blaming it on me?” Monty teased.

Miller was about to respond, when someone turned down the hall they were in.  Strike that, five someones.  “We’ve got company headed our way,” he whispered to Monty.

“Do you know if they’re coming to this room or just down the hallway?” he asked, desparately.

“Unfortunately, I’m not Bellamy.”

 _I hate it when they talk in codes._ Bellamy’s voice echoed in his head. Miller had told them of the plan as soon as they had developed it.  Bellamy said he would scan people’s thoughts in the area to let them know if they were in danger.  _I thought it was something else.  But they’re headed your way.  Get out now!_

“Speak of the devil,” Miller grunted.  “We need to move.  Bellamy says they’re coming for us specifically.”

“One second, I’m going to put this on a loop on a back frequency and hope Raven catches it later, if she’s not already getting it.”

“I don’t know if we have time,” Miller replied, preparing himself for a fight.  He would make sure Monty had the time he needed.

“How close?” Monty asked quickly.

“Seconds.”

Monty unhooked the laptop from the cable he was on and attached it to a different one.  The door opened.  “Fuck!” Monty yelled.  There was something off about the way he had said it, but Miller didn’t have time to figure out what. 

He threw a punch at the first man who entered the doorway and felt it make contact.  Ignoring the pulse of pain in his hand, Miller followed it up with a second hit, and pushed the man back into his companions. “Monty let’s go!” he yelled.  He risked a glance back at his boyfriend.  Monty was still typing things, hands flying across the keyboard.  “If you didn’t get it, I don’t care right now.  Leave it!”

“Just fifteen more seconds!” There was something off about his tone again.

Miller felt a baton punch into his gut.  Electricity flash painfully through his body.  He shouldn’t have looked back at Monty.

He threw himself away from the shock which pushed him further into the small room.  He stumbled over some cables, and landed flat on his back.  Exit wouldn’t have been an issue; get on his feet and Phase.  Or even just Phase through the floor.  The landing would be rough, but he’d be out of immediate danger, enough to Phase again. 

There was one problem though.  The man with the baton followed him into the room, stepping between him and Monty.  “Nate!” Monty cried.  There was nothing off about this statement.  Just fear. 

Miller kicked out with his feet, but the man jumped back.  Soon the small room was crowded with people.  “Just leave me!” Monty yelled, trying to fight off his own attackers.

He tried to get to his feet, but he wasn’t quick enough, another shock slammed into his body, causing him to instinctively curl into himself.  It stopped for a second before resuming with greater force.

“We’ll stop fighting if you just stop hurting him!” Monty’s voice broke through.  The shocks stopped and Miller was pulled roughly to his feet.  His head still swam as echoes of the pain sizzled down his spine.

“Try anything else and we won’t hesitate,” a deep voice sounded.  Miller’s arms were wrenched behind his back and put in some sort of handcuffs.  Then he and Monty were being dragged down the hall.  Somehow he didn’t think they were being led back to the bunkroom.

He looked up to see the Wallaces taking a casual stroll down the hall.  “Ah, here we are, Father,” Cage said.  “These two were up to something.  Trying to send a message.”

“Yeah, because you’re trying to kill us all,” Monty spat at him.

“No,” Cage replied calmly.  “I’m trying to ensure that _my_ people live.  I was just telling my father about the work myself and Dr. Tsing are doing.  I think he’s finally seeing reason in his old age.”

The elder Wallace refused to make eye contact with either Monty or Miller; he looked at the floor, solemn and resigned.

“Anyway,” Cage continued.  “Put them with the others.”

Without further ado, Miller and Monty were being dragged forward again.  He struggled once, but got another shock for his troubles.

 _Miller,_ Bellamy’s voice entered his head, his tone urgent.  He stuttered a step, he would never get used to that.  _Clarke is approaching the Mountain.  I don’t know what the fuck she’s planning on doing, but I need you to stop her from doing something crazy._

 _I’m a little busy getting captured right now,_ he responded annoyed.

There was a long silence as Miller was pulled along hallways and down several sets of stairs.

_Monty says he’s going to fight back and as soon as you’re free to make a run for it.  He also said he got the message on the loop for Raven and then managed to cover his tracks, so if they checked the laptop they would think he had been trying to do something else._

That’s what had been off about Monty’s tone.  He had been playing it up, acting a little bit, so the Mountain Men wouldn’t think they were successful in their objective.  He had to give Monty props, but he still would have preferred a little warning or maybe just a successful escape for the two of them.

He sent Bellamy his acknowledgement of the plan and assured him that he would try to get to Clarke.

One of the guards was punching a code into the door when Monty kicked him from behind, shoving him into the wall.  Commotion broke out for the second time.  Miller heaved his weight backward to throw of the guard who was guiding him from behind.  The man stumbled away and Miller bodily shoved a second guard into the wall.

“Just go!” Monty yelled at him, noticing Miller was momentarily free of guards.  He watched as a guard landed a punch to Monty’s face.  “Go!” Monty spat out blood.

Miller turned and ran through the nearest wall.  He didn’t like leaving Monty behind.  He was fighting his instinct to go back for him.  But having at least one person free to move about in the Mountain would help them greatly.  Monty wouldn’t be stuck in there for long, he would make sure of it.


	20. Melee in the Mountain, Part I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bellamy was trying to be optimistic. But he couldn’t help the apprehension growing inside him. Could they really trust this Maya person? What was Clarke up to? Would Miller make it in time to stop her from doing something stupid? What were the Mountain Men going to do next? Were the people in the bunkroom safe? For how long? And then there was the group in the cages.  
> He pushed all those thoughts to the side and tried to take a note from Clarke. Just focus on the problem in front of you. Push all the rest back and deal with it in manageable chunks. He noticed he was still drumming his fingers on the foot of the bed upon which he sat. He clenched his hand into a fist, stood, and walked to the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so you may have noticed I’ve picked up the pace a little bit with updates. It’s not because I’m in a hurry to finish the story—god knows I would love to drag this out if only to stay with this world a little longer. It’s because I really should be working on writing something a little more important than Bellarke fanfiction *cough cough* my Masters thesis. So here is the next update. Right now it’s looking like there are only two more chapters after this. *cue formal voice* This amount has the potential to change at the discretion of the author…i.e. if I write more than I anticipated…like this chapter where all of a sudden I was writing an unplanned Murven scene and a page and a half later I was like, “Whelp. That happened.”

“What are you even doing?” Murphy groaned, wandering into the Dropship where Raven was working.  “It’s starting to get dark and you’ve been fiddling with that radio for days!  Come get some sleep.”

She looked up, the dials continued to shift under influence of her Ability.  “I’m trying to break into one of Mount Weather’s frequencies.”

“Shit.  That would actually be pretty useful.”

She chuckled.  “Yeah.  Hence why I’ve been working on it for days.”

He sat down next to her, the heel of his hand digging at the knots that formed in the small of her back whenever she sat for too long working on her most recent project.  She let out a quiet moan of appreciation, arching into his touch.

“You’re going to give me ideas if you keep up those sound effects,” he murmured in her ear.

She looked over her shoulder at him, giving him a smile.  “Maybe some celebratory sex after I get this damn radio to make contact with a Mountain frequency.”  She pecked him on the cheek.

“Second to a mother-fucking radio.  I see how it is.”

“At least you know your place.” She turned back to what she was doing, while his hands continued to work their magic.  She traveled up and down the frequencies again.  Nothing.  “I wonder…” she manipulated some wires just slightly in hopes that it would boost the signal; maybe distance was the problem.

She moved up and down the frequencies again, slowly with an ear out for any tick that wasn’t static.  Then she heard a sound, like taping on a keyboard or a message scrolling across a screen.  Fuck!  It was something, but she was using the wrong device.  She checked the station and bolted to her feet. 

“What?” he asked before cocking his head to the side and listening.   Then he gave her and incredulous look.  “You’re excited about clicking?  Are they speaking some weird insect language?  Are the Mountain Men really Mountain Insects?”

She stopped her sifting of her pile of tech in which she had been looking for a cord.  “Please tell me you’re not serious.”

“I was going for a joke, hoping you’d smile.  But apparently I missed my mark.”

“You’ve been hanging out with Jasper too much.” She replied, biting her tongue as soon as the words were out.  She pulled the cord she wanted from the pile and grabbed the tablet from the table and brought them both over to the radio.  “We’ll get him out,” she said settling down next to Murphy as he sat frowning.  “We’re so close.  And if I’m right about this, Monty got a message to us.”

“Monty’s speaking the insect language?” Murphy asked, but she could tell his mind was still lingering on what Jasper had been going through in the Mountain.

“He’s typing, you idiot.”  She began to work her Ability to get information on the radio frequency to align with the tablet.  Before long, a screen popped up.

“What the fuck is that?” Murphy asked.  “It’s just a jumble of words and shapes.”

“It’s encrypted, but now that I know what to work on I can get in.  Depending on where and how Monty did this, I might be able to do a little bit of damage on the Mountain’s overall system.  How much of a badass do you think Monty is?”

Murphy cocked an eyebrow.  “The man gets excited about plants and he looks like your typical skinny nerd kid.”

“And,” she said, her fingers flying over the keys.  “He broke into a main line of the Mountain’s system and sent a beacon for me to find while covering his tracks, so that no one who wasn’t looking for this little blip would see it.”

“Monty?”

“Yup,” she smiled, the screen resolving into the message that Monty had sent. 

 

_Raven I hope you’re a miracle worker, but somehow I know you will be.  People have gone missing and they’re hurting them.  Badly.  We don’t know exactly where they’re being held.  Others are barricaded in our bunkroom, but that won’t hold for too much longer.  Bellamy’s been captured, but we’ve got a plan to get him out.  I hope you can use this beacon and message to do some damage. Miller and I_

 

“Where’s the rest of it?  Still loading?” Murphy asked.

Raven slammed her fist into the ground.  “That’s all there is.  They got cut off.  Something happened.”

“But you said he got it encrypted and all that shit.  That’s a good sign, right?”

She gave him a small smile.  It was a small comfort he pointed out, but a comfort nonetheless.  “Yeah, you’re right.  It would mean he had enough warning so that he could cover his tracks rather than leave the message open.  I just, I hate it.  It’s not fair!  They’re stuck in there, practically on death’s door, and what do I have?  A cut off message and more anxiety.”

“You have the most brilliant brain, the Ability to match it, and most importantly, a way into the Mountain’s system.  From what you’re telling me, Monty cracked the door open and I know you’re going to kick it down and sweep their knees out from under them.  They won’t know what hit them.”

She met his eyes.  “Thanks for making me feel better.”

“You know what will make _me_ feel better?” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

“You’re a pig!” she cried, shoving his shoulder.

“What?  I was going to say roasting some Mountain Men.  _You’re_ the one with her head in the gutter.”

She shook her head, not deigning to respond to him again and started typing on the tablet again.

 

* * *

 

 

Clarke was crouched among the trees, plotting her next move, when the walkie on her belt clicked with static.  She picked it up.  “You have about five minutes until I’m going to be out range.”

“Are you insane?” Octavia’s voice came through.  “I went to go check on what was taking so long with the commander and she said you already left to go into the Mountain.”

“We need someone on the inside and apparently Bellamy can’t be that person.”

“Great.  So, you can get caught too.  Just what we need.”

“I’m not going to get caught.”  _I hope_ , she added in her head.

There was a burst of static before Murphy jumped on the frequency.  “Raven got a message from Monty.”

Clarke hit the button to talk, but Octavia beat her to it.  “Really?  Are they okay?  Do they know what happened to Bellamy?”  It was the exact thing Clarke was going to ask, so she didn’t mind.

“Yes.  No.  And yes.”

“Expand on that, Murphy,” Clarke drawled.

“She did get the message it basically said that the majority of our people are barricaded in their bunkroom, but the others are being hurt.  Bellamy’s locked up, but they have a plan to get him out.  The bad part is the message was cut off, so something happened to Monty before he could tell more.”

“Shit,” Clarke cursed to herself.

Raven’s voice came through next, having snatched the walkie from Murphy.  “He covered his tracks so the Mountain don’t know he got this message out.  He also used it to leave a back door open, so I could get into their system.”

“I’m still going in now.  You guys can follow tomorrow.  Organize with Exodus and TriKru.  Raven, can you make this walkie reach from inside the Mountain?”

“Maybe if you brought it here for me to work on, not at this distance.  But, if you can get a walkie or a radio or another basically any form of tech once you’re inside, I can probably work out a frequency which we could communicate on.”

“Clarke is _barely_ competent at combat,” Octavia said.  “I don’t feel good about her going into enemy territory.  If you wait just an hour or so, I can meet up and go with you.”

“First, thanks for the vote of confidence,” she smarted.  “Second, if combat skills were what was going to keep someone out of trouble, Bellamy wouldn’t be in his current situation.  And third, I need you to rally on the outside, Octavia.  You’re the only one Exodus and our people will listen to on the battle side of things, since they don’t fully trust TriKru.

“Raven, I’ll hit a long, long, short, long pattern on whatever device I get my hands on.  I don’t want to risk a message until we’re on a secure line.”

“Roger that.”

Clarke was about to respond to bid her farewells when she heard a rustling in the brush several yards to her left.  “Going offline for a minute,” was all she whispered before clicking the walkie off.  She did not want someone getting her location from their conversation; she’d be fucked before she even got in the Mountain.

 

* * *

 

 

 _Alright, Maya._ Bellamy projected to his newest ally.  _The guard just went past, so wait five minutes before coming down the corridor.  I’m about halfway down the hall._

 _Be there soon,_ the response came.

He was trying to be optimistic.  But he couldn’t help the apprehension growing inside him.  Could they really trust this Maya person?  What was Clarke up to?  Would Miller make it in time to stop her from doing something stupid?  What were the Mountain Men going to do next?  Were the people in the bunkroom safe?  For how long?  And then there was the group in the cages.

He pushed all those thoughts to the side and tried to take a note from Clarke.  Just focus on the problem in front of you.  Push all the rest back and deal with it in manageable chunks.  He noticed he was still drumming his fingers on the foot of the bed upon which he sat.  He clenched his hand into a fist, stood, and walked to the door. 

Before long a pale girl with wild curly hair appeared in the window.  “Maya I presume,” he greeted.

“And you must be Bellamy.”  She procured a key from her pocket and opened the door.  “Where to now?  They’ll know you’re gone by their next sweep and then they’ll be looking even closer at the security videos.”

“I need to get my people out of those cages,” he said, already moving down the hall.  “Any chance you’ll know a keypad number?  Cage mentioned there was one between here and them.”

Maya trailed after him.  “It wouldn’t be a number I have access to.”

The took the next turn.  He grabbed her back when she kept walking.  She gave him a confused look, but didn’t say anything.  He waited and then right when the guard he had been tracking crossed the hallway, Bellamy grabbed him and pulled him into their hallway.

Taken by surprise, the guard barely put up a struggle as Bellamy held him in a headlock until he lost consciousness.  He pulled the man into the nearest room, Maya following, her face and thoughts laced with worry.  “I’ll blend in slightly better in a guard’s uniform,” he explained, disrobing the guard.  “It may give me the extra time I need before they find me again.”

Once he was fully dressed, she gave him a critical once over before peeling off the name badge.  “Everyone knows everyone.  Better to be anonymous than use someone’s name.”

He nodded once and reached out to Harper.  _How are things?  I’m out and headed your way now._

 _Finn and Jones didn’t come back,_ she whispered.  _They took them both, but only came back with Jones._

 _I know_ , he replied sadly.

_He’s dead, isn’t he?_

_Yes_.  Bellamy swallowed the lump in his throat.  He held back from telling her that Jones was knocking on death’s door as well.  It was why he was so desperate to get in there now.  He had already lost one person for sure.  It would be two any minute.  And he didn’t want to add any more to the list.  _I won’t let that happen to you, Harper.  I promise._

_Don’t come by yourself._

_What?_

_Don’t come if it’s just you and Maya.  They have a lot of guards posted right by the door.  I think they’re expecting Miller to come back which you have to tell him not to.  Not unless you both come together.  They’re done with their experiments for the night, I think…after Finn…_

_Harper, I’m not leaving you all in there!_

_Monty said you heard Clarke approaching the Mountain.  She’ll bring the people from the outside or Raven or someone who will get us an exit.  We have a better chance of hiding if we have an exit strategy first._

_I don’t care.  I’m not leaving you at their mercy.  Clarke and I will figure it out, but I’m not leaving you caged and waiting at their fingertips._

Fear blazed in her thoughts, a sudden flash.  _I may have spoken too soon about them being done for the night._

 

* * *

 

 

Clarke pulled her dirk out of its sheath and got into her fighter’s crouch.  She inched forward, peering through the trees and listening to the fumbles.  Soon she saw a person, something was off about his stance, but she dismissed it, instead taking the opportunity of his back being toward her.  Darting forward, she kicked the back of his knees causing him to fall forward.  Then she was on him, holding him down with a knee to the back, her knife’s point aimed at his left internal jugular vein.

“Clarke, if you’d get your knife away from my throat and stop your knee from pressing against my lungs, I’d really appreciate it.”

“Miller!” She exclaimed backing off quickly.  He sat up awkwardly which was when she finally noticed that his hands were tied behind his back.  “Hold on a second,” she told him and sliced the restraints.

He arched his back and brought his hands around front and began massaging his wrists.  “I would say good job on the take down, but my hands were tied, so it wasn’t really a fair fight.”

“Re-match a week from now when we’re all safe?” she gave him a teasing smile.

“You can bet on it.”

“Here.  Let me.” She reached for his hands, intending to Heal his wrists.

Miller pulled them back into his chest before she could grab them.  “Others are going to need your Healing a hell of a lot more than I do right now.  I’ll be fine.  I just need to work out the soreness.”

She swallowed and nodded, recognizing the truth of his words.  “How are the others?  Do you know where Bellamy is?  He didn’t check in.  Raven got Monty’s note, but…”

She saw him breathe a sigh of relief at the success of the note.  “He’s safe.  Or well, as safe as anyone in there.  He got trapped in a room, but he should be out soon.  He could hear you at the check-in, but apparently you didn’t hear him.  So Raven got Monty’s message?”

“Yeah, I was just on the walkie with her and Octavia and shit, they’re probably freaking out right now.” She jogged back to where she had left her small bag and grabbed the walkie off the ground.  She clicked it on.  “I’m okay, guys.  I heard someone walking in the forest, but it was Miller.”

“Clarke Griffin!  You nearly gave us a heart attack!” Octavia yelled.

“Wait!  Miller?” Raven’s equally screaming reply came.

Clarke handed the walkie to Miller, knowing both him and the other would appreciate hearing directly from one another.  “Long time no talk,” Miller said casually into the walkie.

“You have no fucking idea how good it is to hear your voice,” Raven breathed.

Miller chuckled.  “It’s pretty great to hear from the outside world, too.  And as much as I’d like to reminisce and catch up, we can do that once everyone’s safe.”

“Monty?” Raven asked.  “His message was cut short, and…”

“We got caught.  He’s with the group in the cages and I’d really like to get my boyfriend out of there before they can run their experiments on him.”

“Boyfriend?” Octavia shouted.  “You finally made a move?”

Miller’s cheeks darkened slightly.  “Is it wrong that it felt good to call him that, even in the dire context?” he asked Clarke.

“Not at all,” she smiled at him.  “But like you said, let’s work on getting him out, for which I need _you_ to get _me_ in.”

“I’m not bringing more people in there.” He gave her a flat look.

“I’m going in whether you bring me or not.  And if you won’t, I’ll just find another way.”

The walkie crackled in his hand.  “I repeat, boyfriend?” Octavia asked.

“Yes, boyfriend,” Miller said into the walkie.  “Were you seriously planning on letting Clarke bust into the Mountain on her own?”

“No,” Raven’s immediate response came.  “She took off without telling anyone.”

Miller gave the woman in question a pointed look. 

“I told her to wait for me at least,” Octavia added.

Clarke grabbed the walkie out of Miller’s hand.  “I’m going in,” she told everyone, returning Miller’s look with a glare.

“You know that means we’re all coming in as soon as we can” Raven told her dryly before beginning to bark out orders.  “Murphy, get on the coms to Exodus.  Octavia, turn back and get as many TriKru as you can to go tonight.”

“We don’t even have a plan,” Clarke protested.

“It’s not like you had a plan for once you’re inside the Mountain either,” Miller replied with raised eyebrow.  “You and Bellamy both:  a hero complex that makes you all action and little plan.”

Clarke rolled her eyes before relenting.  “Fine.  Raven’s plan sounds as good as any.  Her and Kane can work on the entrances once they get here.  Raven will the walkies work inside the Mountain?”

“Won’t know till we get there.”

“Okay, we’ll play that by ear.  Octavia, you good?”

“Hey, I was ready to go with just you.  The backup is just a bonus.” Clarke could hear the smile in her voice.

“I’ll let you all get ready, just make your entrance when you can.  Hopefully, Raven will get the walkies working.  If not, Bellamy should be able to contact the groups once everyone’s inside to coordinate.”  He heart did a stutter-step at the thought of Bellamy.  Miller said he was more or less fine, but she wouldn’t be able to believe it until she knew first hand.

“Aye, aye, Captain!” Raven proclaimed.

“Let’s do this thing!” Octavia agreed.

Having that settled, she turned to Miller.  “Alright, let’s go.”

He crossed his arms and shook his head.  “Bellamy said not to let you inside the Mountain unless everyone was with you.  You’ll just have to wait for them to show up.”

She narrowed her eyes.  “Not going to happen.  If you don’t bring me with you, I’m just going to find another way in.”

“Threats of bodily harm were subtly issued if I let you put yourself in danger.”

“Since when is he the boss of you?”

“Since we landed,” he responded, laughing heartily as if his answer were obvious.

Clarke furrowed her brow.  “Okay, that’s more or less true, but Bellamy and are co-leaders.  So I’m kind of your boss too.”

“Nice try, but I’m not really up for you going in willy-nilly without a plan either.”

“So, if I have a plan, you’ll bring me in?” She asked, knowing she had trapped him.

He winced.  “I walked into that one, didn’t I?  What’s your plan?”

Clarke shot him a saccharine smile.  “Well, I want you to go back in and prepare the people in the bunkroom.  Let them know that help is on the way. Tonight.”  She smiled; it felt so good to know she was finally saving her people.  “Get them ready to put up their own fight once you get the signal from Bellamy who will get the signal from Raven and Octavia.  I assume, Bellamy is headed for the Abled whom they took.”  Miller nodded the accuracy of this statement.  “And I’m going to cut off the head of the snake.”

“You going after the Wallaces alone? Not exactly a good way to convince me to help you get in the Mountain.”

Clarke gritted her teeth.  “How about if I meet up with Bellamy?  I’ll be able to talk with him once I’m inside, right?  We can find each other and first help the group in the cages, and then go after the Wallaces or the security headquarters or something.  The overarching goal is to talk to, i.e. threaten, their leader until he/they let our people go.  If I can do this before we have to break in and use violence, great.  If not, my threats become a reality.”

“You’ll meet up with Bellamy first?”

“Why do you and Octavia think I’m ‘barely competent?’  I’m actually a pretty decent fighter now!”

Miller gave her a sad smile.  “I’m just worried about you.  And more so worried that we wouldn’t be able to get by without you if something happened.  Not just because you’re a Healer, but because you’re Clarke.  We’d pull it together because we’re survivors, but it’d be harder to move forward if you’re not there.”

She returned the smile.  “Thanks, Miller.  I promise I won’t intentionally put my life in danger.”

“You had to slip that ‘intentionally’ in there, didn’t you?”

“Have to cover my bases,” she shrugged.  “I’ll find Bellamy and we’ll relay our threats together.”

“You two always work better as a team, anyway.”

She wouldn’t object to having the other member of her “team” in easier reach again.  She smiled at him and they turned toward the Mountain.

Miller held her hand as they Phased through the Mountain to get into the interior structure.  The entire time her body felt weird and disjointed.  If her stomach wasn’t somehow in whatever state it was in to allow her to pass through the stone, she was pretty sure she’d be throwing up at the moment.

Once they were through, she dropped Miller’s hand and shook out her whole body.  Choking back the vomit that was rising in her throat, she gave Miller a disgusted look.  “I have no idea how you deal with that all the time.  It was—” she shivered again unable to come up with the correct word to describe the sensation.

Miller chuckled.  “Even I’m not a fan of _that_ Phasing.  It’s fine otherwise, just those extended Phases.”

“I’m only ever Phasing with you again if it’s an absolute necessity,” she vowed before rolling all her joints.  “I still don’t feel right.”

“The feeling will pass in a minute.”

She straightened her spine and brought herself to the task at hand.  “I assume you’re taking a more direct route to the bunkroom, but for those of us with other tasks and who like to keep their body in one, solid state, which way to the stairs?”

Miller shook his head, a small smile on his lips.  “Down this hall, hang a right, then a left.  I’m pretty sure they’re six floors down.  Keep calling for Bellamy.  He probably knows you’re here and is heading in this direction, but you’ll both feel better once you hear him.”

She nodded once.  “Stay safe. Fight strong.  And may we meet again.”

“May we meet again,” Miller agreed and Phased through the wall behind him.

Clarke shivered at the sight.  “Never again,” she muttered to herself before starting her trek toward the stairs.

 

* * *

 

 

 _Harper!  I’m coming!_ Bellamy sent.

He took a step, reaching for the door when a second voice entered his mind.  _Bellamy?_ It was tentative and hopeful while at the same time determined and annoyed. 

He’d know that pattern anywhere.  _Princess?  I thought I told Miller to keep you outside until the others came._

He got a wave of relief at hearing his thoughts, one that was echoing in his own chest.  He could feel the smugness in her voice. _Oh, you told him.  I just also told him either he brings me with him now, or I’d find some other, probably not as safe way, to enter the Mountain._

 _Infuriating as ever_ , he replied.  He balanced on his toes, trying to decide what to do.  He needed to get to Harper and the others, he needed to move now, but he also knew he shouldn’t do that while he was distracted by talking to Clarke.

 _You’re holding something back_ , she accused.  _Tell me._

He shook his head, a wry smile on his lips.  Of course she would notice that right away.  Maya gave him a curious look as to why he stopped moving toward the door.  “Clarke,” he told her.

She smiled instantly.  “Should have known.  You looked both relieved and exasperated at the same time.  Based on Jasper’s stories that could only mean one thing.”

Bellamy furrowed his brow, unsure of how to respond.

 _Bellamy!_ Clarke demanded.

_It’s Harper and the others._

_I’m on my way,_ she told him before he could even elaborate.

_No.  I don’t want you in this mess too._

_The whole reason I came into this godforsaken Mountain is to help them.  To make sure no one got hurt…more than they already have been._ Her guilt for what had befallen the group taken by the Mountain echoed in full force.  _I’m coming._

_You don’t even know where they are._

_Miller pointed me in the right direction and I, I figured out a way to find them._ He sensed it then, what she was trying to push out of the forefront of her thoughts but be aware of at the same time.  He remembered when she had explained why she had created her river in the first place.  That she could hear and feel all the ailments of everyone around her, all begging for her to Heal them.

 _Clarke_ , he said, his thought weighed down with his realization.  _Just push it back.  Don’t open yourself up to it._

Her tenacity came back to him like gritted teeth.  _Tell me you didn’t open yourself up to their thoughts and fears to help find them and I’ll stop._

She had him there and he didn’t like it one bit.  _I’ll guide you to me and then we’ll go together_ , he reasoned.  _You don’t have to open yourself up to it._

Instead of getting a response, he felt her surprise and then a series of thoughts about certain vulnerabilities of the body.  She was fighting someone.  He kicked himself for not scanning the area around her.  He should have been more vigilant, there was just so much going on everywhere.

A stab of pain as electricity surged through her body.

 _Bellamy!_ Harper called again in a panic, reminding him of their plight.

He stood rooted in his spot, not sure of what his next action would be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I know I mentioned this a while back. Like three chapters ago. But I have a tendency to let my ideas and writing get away from me and add more chapters than I had originally planned. Seriously guys, my original plotline for this story had 14 chapters. That’s right, FOURTEEN!!!  
> Anyway, if you’re still wondering where Kyle Wick is, and perhaps you’ve thought, “Gosh darnnit! She said she was going to tell me where he is! I want to know!” Well, the next update I will be making (as its own separate story) is “Meanwhile Kyle Wick…” which will hold all the answers you’ve always (or never) wanted. And since if I tell you when this story will be uploaded, I’ll feel obligated to actually follow through: look for it on Wednesday…if you want. Or don’t. You do you.


	21. Melee in the Mountain, Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Miller was feeling more antsy than usual. He had made it back to the bunkroom without a problem, but everything was coming to a head and he was at the same time more than ready and not ready at all. He wanted to get the hell out of the Mountain, yes. But everything had gone to shit and he didn’t know how they were all going to make it to the other side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> About that cliffhanger…sorry, not sorry. It was just too perfect of a place to leave the chapter. For reals though, sorry about the delayed update; I had a minor, major(?) writing crisis. Long story, short (if I am even capable of that):   
> I am very bad at gaging how long a section of my outline will turn out to be in story form and that came back to bite me in the butt with “Melee in the Mountain” which is what I refer to as the entirety of the climax of Heathens. Basically, I had it as one chapter, then two, then I thought it would be three or four. I settled on three and changed the first bit of it into “The Molehill Before the Mountain” because it didn’t even get to the actually climactic events. Then I started writing this chapter and there was just so much to get through and I thought I would need another chapter (which there will be—surprise! I’m calling in that phrase “subject to change” from the last note. So two more chapters after this one.). But I didn’t know where I could easily divide the chapters. So, I ended up finishing the entirety of “Melee in the Mountains” before I decided where to break up the chapters.  
> Thus, on the upside. You get an extra chapter (reminder: two more after this one) and I’ll be updating those a bit quicker, at least part III; I’m still working on the final chapter.

Clarke felt the shock travel throughout her body.  As the pain and convulsions lessened, she felt her arms being wrenched behind and she was pulled up to her feet.  She shook her head to clear her thoughts a little.  _Bellamy, Bellamy are you there?_

_Yeah, Clarke, I’m here. I’m—_

She didn’t wait to hear the rest of his projection.  _Don’t worry about me.  Go and get the others out of the cages._

_But—_

_No.  You’re in a position to help them. I’m not.  I’ll do my best to make sure the Mountain Men’s focus remains on me and buy you as much time as I can._

_What do you mean by that?_ He demanded. She could sense that he didn’t want to listen, that he wanted to find her and rescue her.  But she didn’t need to be rescued—she could handle herself…at least for now—but their people in the cages did.  They were the priority.

_Don’t worry about me.  Go help our people.  Go!_

He was warring with himself, but he could see the logic in what she was saying.  _Be safe.  Or well, as safe as you can be.  I’ll come for you as soon as the others are out of harm’s way._

 _You too, Bell._  She sent back and turned her attention to her current situation.  Sending a prayer to the gods, she ran with the first idea that came to mind.  “I want to talk to Dante or Cage Wallace,” she proclaimed.  Even if this wasn’t the plan she had agreed to with Miller, why not make the most of a bad situation?  “I’m here to discuss the release of my people.  I figured you guys wouldn’t answer if I knocked on the front door, so I thought a more direct approach would work.  So can we lose the arm twisting?” She tried to shrug out of the grasp of the guard holding her.

The pair looked slightly taken aback.  Clarke shook her head like she was exasperated with them and not at all worried that this wasn’t how she was expecting the night to go.  “Want a more formal introduction? Is that it?”  She yanked her right arm out of the guard’s grip, ignoring the pain it caused her shoulder, and held her hand out to the guard in front of her.  “Clarke Griffin, a leader of the Sky People.”

The guard took it tentatively.  “I, uh, Mark Greenwood.  And that’s Basso.  Basso, let go of her,” he hissed the last bit.

“How do we know she is who she says she is and that she won’t try anything?” Basso asked somewhat helplessly.

“Just take me to whomever is in charge and I’ll go easily and won’t try anything.” Clarke shrugged her other arm out of his grasp.  He let it go more easily than the first.

“Yeah,” Greenwood said, not sounding fully convinced himself.  “We, uh, take her to Cage and he’ll tell us what to do with her.  That’s what we’d be doing anyway, right?”

“Lead the way,” Clarke said with bravado.  _Fuck_ , she thought to herself with a smile.  _I did not think that was going to work._

 

* * *

 

 

“Is everything alright?” Maya asked, looking concerned.

“No. Yeah,” he couldn’t make up his mind on what to say.  “Clarke got herself into trouble, but she said to worry about the others first.”

Maya nodded.  “Then that’s what we do.  We’re closer to them and they need our help.  From the stories I’ve heard, Clarke is more than capable of handling herself.”

“She is, but…”

“But that doesn’t mean you don’t worry.  I get it,” Maya gave him a sweet smile.  “Any ideas on how to get past that keypad you mentioned?”

Bellamy thought on it, looking around for inspiration and found nothing.  “Violence?” he suggested.

“Not a fan.  But if that’s what we have to do,” Maya nodded toward the door, gesturing for him to lead.

Bellamy opened the door and started down the hall.  There were two guards at the end of this hall after the turn.  He’d take the two of them out.  And then he’d have to get a little creative because next was the secured door and then the room with all his people in cages. And currently six other people who were choosing upon whom to experiment next.

He paused just before the turn; as soon as they rounded the corner they’d be in plain sight.  _Maya_ , he projected, not wanting his voice to carry in the hallways. 

She startled visibly, but soon met his eyes.  _Yeah?_

_I’m guessing you’re not a fighter._

She shook her head.

_Then you’re going to wait here.  I’m going to project ahead and tell the others to fight with all they’ve got while I take these two out and get in that room._

He could tell that she wanted to do more, that she didn’t like the idea of standing idle while he and the others fought.  But she also knew she would be no help in that type of situation.  She nodded her affirmation.

In rapid succession, he projected to each of the incarcerated Abled, _This is Bellamy.  I’m down the hall.  Get ready to fight like hell._

He waited half a beat, collecting his thoughts, and took a deep breath.  He rounded the corner and took off at a run, giving the guards less time to react.  They whipped out their shock batons.  He could hear them sizzle in the air.  Then he was on them.

Elbow to the throat of the first.  Dodge the swing of the second.  Sweep the legs of the first.  Stomach hit to the second.  Dodge.  Kidney punch.  Grapple for the baton.  Knock out the first with a swift kick.  Shock the second.  And knock him out.

It was over in seconds, but it left Bellamy breathing hard.  _Ain’t no rest for the wicked,_ he thought.  He looked to the locking mechanism before stooping down to grab the keycard from one of the unconscious guards.  Apparently “secured” was a swipe card, not a keypad.  A small difference between the Mountain and the Ark, but one that made his life easier.

He allowed himself one more deep breath before he swiped and entered into the next room.  It was in chaos.

 

* * *

 

 

Miller was feeling more antsy than usual.  He had made it back to the bunkroom without a problem, but everything was coming to a head and he was at the same time more than ready and not ready at all.  He wanted to get the hell out of the Mountain, yes.  But everything had gone to shit and he didn’t know how they were all going to make it to the other side.

“Miller?”

He gave her a small smile.  “What’s up, Katie?”

“There’s a man outside.  Not by the doors like the guards.  He’s down hall and he’s whispering like he doesn’t want to be heard.  He wants to talk to you.”  Miller startled back, confused.  “He says he’s Maya’s dad.  That she told him about me and you and our Abilities.  He says he has people that will hide us.”

He sat back and contemplated their options.  Stay holed up in this room into which the Mountain Men were sure to break in sooner or later?  Or take a chance on this guy who claims to be Maya’s dad?  But why would a man know they trust Maya and why would she tell someone about them if she didn’t trust that person?

“Do _you_ think we can trust him?” he eventually asked.

The girl’s eyes widened.  “You’re asking _me_?”

He hid his smile and nodded.  “You know how to get a good read on people.  Plus, you’re the only one of us who has talked to him.  Well, heard him.”

He could tell Katie was putting a lot of thought into her decision as she placed her hand on her chin and tapped her cheek with her index finger.  Maybe she was listening to the man again…He waited for nearly a minute before she finally stopped.  “I think we can trust him. He seems genuine.  And what do we have to lose?”

“My thoughts exactly,” he told her.  “Monroe!” he called across the room.

The girl in question came over and raised an eyebrow.

“Katie heard someone claiming to be Maya’s dad waiting in a hallway a little way from here.  He says he can hide us.  I’m going to go talk to him.”

“You really think he’d hide us?” Miller could see the hope shining in her eyes.

“That’s what I’m going to find out.  But I think so.”

“I’ll hold down the fort.”

Miller got up and took a few determined steps.  He stopped abruptly and turned to look at Katie.  “Which way?”

She giggled and pointed in the opposite direction of which he had been heading.

“Right.”

 

* * *

 

 

“How soon can we be at the Mountain?” Raven asked Murphy as they left camp, a small group of Abled, those who had managed to avoid the raid at Exodus and since had migrated to the Dropship, behind them. 

“It’s a couple hour’s hike.  I would say to push the pace, but I don’t want to be tired when we get there.”

“Agreed.  And Exodus knows where to meet us?”

“Yup.  I told Sinclair the coordinates and he said they’d probably end up meeting us shortly before we arrive at the Mountain.”  His voice was bored, having answered these questions already.

“And Octavia is bringing TriKru with her,” Raven said ignoring his tone.

“I don’t know if that is a question or a statement.  But either way, you know the answer.”

She gave him a tight lipped smile.  “I know, I know.  I just want to be _doing_ shit already.  The anticipation is always the worse. You know what I want right now?”

“Our people out of the Mountain?” he replied dryly.

She rolled her eyes.  “Obviously.  But I was going to say a teleportation Ability.  Just get there now.  Beat the Mountain to a pulp.  Get our people free.  And go home, happy as clams.”

“What are clams and why are they so happy?”

“They’re some weird sea creatures, I don’t even know if they’re animals; they’re like two closed shells.  I don’t know.  I think that’s what I remember from the books we had as kids.  As for the happy thing? It’s just an expression from Earth of Old…” She caught the smile tugging at the corner of his mouth as she rambled, trying to figure out the answer for herself.  “You’re just trying to distract me from worrying.”

“Sue me for not wanting to answer the same questions a fifth time in a row.”

She shot him a glare, but said nothing else.

“I have a teleportation Ability,” one of the younger Abled who had come with spoke up.  “I was going to offer to use it.  But I can only take one or two people at a time and I need to know exactly where I’m going.  I’ve never been to Mount Weather, only Exodus and the Dropship. So I didn’t really think it was useful…”

Murphy closed his eyes and bit off the response that was on the tip of his tongue.  When he opened his eyes he could see the same emotion pass over Raven’s face before the gears in her mind started churning.

“If someone you’re teleporting can keep the place they want in their mind’s eye, could you teleport to that place?” she asked the boy quickly.

He crunched up his face in thought.  “Maybe…”

“Well, we’re going to try it.  Murphy I want you to think of the entrance you used for the heist; Glen, you’re going to take him there.”

“I love being a guinea pig,” Murphy muttered under his breath.  Raven narrowed her eyes at him in warning.  “Let’s do this, kid,” he said louder.

“Are you thinking of it?” the kid, apparently named Glen, asked.

“Yup.  And clicking my heels together three times.”

One second he was seeing Raven shaking her head at him, the next he was standing outside the door into the Mountain.  “Good work, kid.”

He smiled shyly but happily.  “Thanks, Murphy.”

“Now hurry up and bring Raven here; I’m not really up for attacking the Mountain on my own.” 

He blinked his eyes and the kid was gone.  “Fucking should have told us about that Ability sooner,” he muttered and leaned against the wall to wait for Raven.

 

* * *

 

 

Miller made his way down the hall.  He had to assume that the guards either didn’t know he had gotten back to the bunkroom or didn’t know how to deal with someone with his Abilities, because all of the Mountain Men were posted at the doors to the bunkroom, no one in the adjacent hallways.  He counted himself lucky.

He noticed a figure pulled back into an alcove, trying to be as unobtrusive as possible.  “You wanted to talk?” he said, startling the man.

He turned quickly and looked appraisingly at Miller.  “You must be Miller.  I’m Vincent, Maya’s father.  She told me about you all and, and I can go on a lengthy explanation of why I’m here and why I want to help, but I think it would make more sense to get you all to safety before I waste time with that.”

“As much as I want to agree, I need to be able to trust you before I’ll let you help my people.  How am I to know you are who you say you are?  And more importantly, how am I to know that you’re not really going to just turn around and hand everyone over to Cage Wallace and Dr. Tsing?”

An ounce of frustration crossed Vincent’s face before it relaxed into understanding and urgency.  “Of course.  I understand.  Right now I have no way to prove that I’m Maya’s father other than knowing that it is the truth; she does take after her mother in her looks.” He gained a brief wistful look.  “The short version of why you should trust me?  Not everyone in the Mountain agrees with the Wallaces’ methods.  There have been protests over the years about the treatment of Outsiders and the use of their blood to help heal us if there’s a breach.  Maya’s mother actually died because she was caught in a breach, but refused treatment.  We believed you were here of your own free will and that there were no untoward plans.  But as we were wrong, there are a number of people who are willing to help.”

Miller looked into Vincent’s eyes and found sincerity.  He nodded, more to himself than the other man.  “How are we doing this?”

Vincent smiled.  “It relies heavily on you and your Power—Ability, I think is the word Maya said you use.  You bring small groups out to this point where I will have different people waiting to hide each group in their apartments.”

“And you trust all these people?”

“I wouldn’t bring anyone I don’t trust one hundred percent.”

“Okay.  I will start bringing groups as soon as I return.”

“I’ll have people waiting,” Vincent assured him.  “The quicker we can do this the better.”

“Agreed,” Miller said, turning to head back to the bunkroom, already forming the groups in his mind. 

 

* * *

 

 

Clarke strode into the office with all the confidence she could muster.  She would get her people out of the Mountain if it was the last thing she did.  She just hoped it didn’t come to that.

There was a man, younger than she had expected, sitting at the desk.  Between his slicked back hair and oily smile to match, she was quickly losing faith in her original negotiation plan.

“What is this?” he demanded of the guards.

“She, uh, she said she was here to talk to you, sir,” Greenwood stammered, suddenly looking even more unsure of himself than he had before.

“You just brought one of _them_ into my chambers?”

“She snuck in somehow.  She’s not one of the original ones inside here.  You can tell by her clothes,” Basso added.

The man’s eyes turned to her with more critical assessment than before.  “Is this true?”

She met his gaze steadily.  “Yes.  I’m Clarke Griffin, a leader of the Sky People.  I was not taken in your raid.  And I am here to discuss the release of my people.”

“You two are dismissed.  I can handle a little girl,” he said to the two guards.

Her brow furrowed incredulously.  He was _maybe_ ten years older than her; hardly a reason to refer to her as a “girl.”  It was insulting enough when Pike or Diana would do that, but they at least had twenty-five to thirty years on her.  But if he wanted to underestimate her, he was more than welcome to do so.

Greenwood and Basso left quickly.

Clarke strode forward and plopped herself into the chair in front of the desk, trying for nonchalance.  “You’re Cage Wallace, right?  Can I call you ‘Cage?’” she plowed on not waiting for a response.  “So, Cage, as I said, I’m here to talk about you letting my people go.  This is actually non-negotiable; they are all going to be let out of the Mountain.  But the state that _you_ all are left in is up to you.”

The man seemed unfazed.  “Clarke, right? You lived in space for a while, right?  Stuck in a metal box high in the sky?”

She nodded slowly.

“But now you’re free on Earth.  You can roam around and do as you please.  And you find this wonderful?  Freeing?”

She said nothing, only waited for him to continue.

“Now, you see, I find this particularly unfair.  You left the ground, your ancestors ran and hid in the sky.  But yet Earth welcomes you back willingly.  Embraces you.  But those of us who stayed on Earth, it rejects, keeping us from walking on the surface.

“And to top it off.  You and the outsiders were rewarded.  But those of us in here, who descended from the best and brightest of the American country we are stuck in this mountain with not a Power to our name.  Perhaps because we are the best and brightest we are being tested; we are supposed to _seize_ the ability to walk in the sun.  And that is what Dr. Tsing and I are doing.  _Diem carpimus_.”

“I’m really not sure that’s a good use of the phrase,” Clarke objected.

“We are seizing the day, the ability to walk in the sun.  There is no better phrase.”

“Okay, I’ll give you that.  But you are kidnapping, torturing, and murdering to do it and I will not stand for that.”  She shifted her weight slightly to make it easier to access her knives.

“And what exactly would you call what you and the Outsiders are doing?  Have you not maimed and killed one another since you arrived?”

“We have come to an accord.”

“And how long will that last?”

“As long as we continue to put in effort,” she replied easily.

“Naïveté is not a good look on anybody.”

“Neither is murdering innocents.”

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but you would do anything for your people?”

“I would.”

“Then how can you fault me for doing the same?”

“I wouldn’t resort to murder if there were other avenues toward peace,” Clarke protested, feeling slightly uncomfortable by the question.

“From where I stand, the outcome of today, and any other interaction with your people, will be violent.  That is how people work; they are not meant to forgive.  Your people hold mine responsible for the deaths during the raid, among other things.  I believe the best thing right now would be for you to join your friends downstairs.  I am quite eager to find out what your Power is since you have yet to reveal it here.”  Cage calmly brought out a small handgun from his desk and aimed it squarely at Clarke’s chest.

Clarke clenched her jaw.  A handgun was not something she had been factoring into her moves in this meeting.

 

* * *

 

 

Bellamy took half a second to take in the sight before him.  Two rows of cages facing one another and six guards standing in the middle.  Two of the Abled were being hauled out of their cages and were taking full advantage of that momentary freedom, throwing hits, kicks, and punches at the guards holding them.  The rest were screaming and reaching through the bars to grab at whatever they could.  Bellamy had told them to fight like hell, and they were living up to it the best they could.

A shrieking scream came from a girl who had just come into contact with the wrong end of a shock baton.  Bellamy dove into the brawl.  He wrenched the man with the baton away from the girl he assumed to be Jessica and struck him in the face.  Blood poured out of the man’s nose.  Using the momentary disorientation, Bellamy slammed his head into the nearest cage and let him fall unconscious.

Jessica was on her feet, looking shaky but fierce, she gave him a nod and turned to help the others.  Bellamy leapt back from the swing of a second shock baton.  He was really beginning to hate those things.  Slipping his knife into his hand from the sleeve sheath, he cut at the tendons of the attacker’s wrist, a thought for Clarke sweeping through the back of his mind as he did it.

The guard cursed, dropping the baton and trying to grapple with Bellamy using the other arm.  Bellamy easily stepped to the side and used the momentum of the attack to swing the man over his shoulder and onto the ground.  A kick to the downed man’s head and that was another guard unconscious. 

None of the Abled in the room were well-trained in combat, and all of them were weak, but somehow they were putting up a decent fight.  It didn’t help the guards that if they were out of the reach of one side of cages, they were in the reach of the other.  Bellamy was cutting off any chance of exit out the door.

He moved fluidly through the throng of guards who were only just realizing someone else had joined the fray and that someone was armed and dangerous.  Within minutes he had quelled the other four guards.  Breathing heavily, he projected to Maya.  _You’re good to come in now._

Seconds later she was entering the room while Bellamy dug into pockets to look for keys to the cages.  Maya let out a distressed noise and hurried over to the cage which held Jasper.

“Long time, no see,” Jasper smiled weakly, he was probably in the worst shape of the group.  Well, the survivors of the group, he thought with a look to the cages that had once held Finn and Jones.

“Don’t you joke at a time like this,” Maya reprimanded.

“But if I’m not going to lighten the mood, who will?”

Bellamy finally spotted the keys on the floor, having been flung during the fight.  He quickly grabbed them and unlocked Jasper’s cage.  Maya reached in and helped him out of his continement as Bellamy unlocked the rest of the cages.

When he got Monty out, Monty pulled him into a hug. “Thanks for coming for us.”

“What did you expect?” he managed to reply after a moment, not having expected this show of affection.

Bellamy released the other man and surveyed the group.  They were free, but they needed to somewhere safe to hide until they had an exit.  _Miller?_ He sent out hopefully.

 _Little busy right now, Blake,_ the reply came.

_I got them out of the cages, but I don’t know where they should go from here.  The others probably won’t be here for a while to get us an exit._

Miller’s sense of relief at knowing the others were safe was overwhelming.  _Monty?_

 _He’s fine.  A little worse for the wear, but nothing Clarke can’t handle._   He sent, his mind catching at his casual thought of Clarke.  She was next.  Make sure these people had a safe hideout and then get to Clarke.  She’d kill him if they weren’t a hundred percent safe before he came for her.

_I actually am getting the people in the bunkroom into hiding with Maya’s dad's help.  I’ll ask him if he can hide the others too._

“Maya,” he called to her.  She looked up eagerly.  “Your dad is helping our people hide?”

She broke into a smile.  “I was hoping that would work out.  I talked to him before I came to get you.”

“How about these guys?”

She nodded eagerly.  “Definitely.  There are a lot of people who we know who would be willing to help out with this.  Tell him that they’ll be coming up the southeast stairway C.  That’s the least trafficked route.”

“Do any of them know where that is?  I need you to come with me.  I can follow Clarke’s thoughts to find her, but that doesn’t tell me the layout of the Mountain.”

Jasper’s brow furrowed in concern.  “That’s the staircase by the storage gallery, right?  I know where that is.  I thought Clarke was outside.”

Bellamy shook his head.  “She came into the Mountain when I was out of commission,” he chose not to elaborate and worry Jasper and the others further.  “You can lead them there?”

Jasper nodded, trying to gain his feet.  Monty was there in an instant, supporting him on one side.

“Okay.  Watch out for one another.  Let’s go Maya.”

 

* * *

 

 

“This is even worse,” Raven let her head fall onto Murphy’s chest where she stood facing him.  “I thought it was bad when we were hiking.  Now we’re just standing around waiting to have enough numbers to have a successful attack.”

She could feel Murphy’s chuckle reverberating through his chest.  “You just can’t be happy, can you?”

“I’ll be happy when we’re all back at the Dropship.  All of us.  Safe and sound.”

“Not happy as clams?”

Raven punched him in the gut, but didn’t even bother to lift her head.  “I hate you.”

Murphy just laughed again.

She ran over their status one more time; it helped her feel like they were actually being productive. “We’ve got all of our people from the Dropship here.  We’ve shown Glen the other entrance Kane will be using, and he’s probably got a good number of our Exodus troops there already.”

 “That kid is going to be dead on his feet,” Murphy grunted.

“But he’s definitely in the running for MVP of the raid.  A lot can happen in the hours it would have taken us to hike.  This kid is probably saving lives.”

 _Bellamy_ , she called for the up-teenth time.  She knew he was out of range, he hadn’t responded and that’s why Clarke went in, in the first place.  But it didn’t stop her from hoping one of these times he would have miraculously moved inside the Mountain and be able to hear her.

 _Raven?_ He sounded confused and exasperated and worried all at the same time.

She startled up from where she was resting.  _Yeah, yeah.  I’m here.  We’re all here.  Or most of us anyway.  The Dropship is.  Probably most of Exodus, but I’m not sure.  Octavia and TriKru are still a long way away though._

_What?  How?_

_Glen.  Apparently he can teleport people.  Didn’t find that out until half an hour of hiking._

The best way she could describe his reaction would be someone hitting himself in the forehead.  _Why didn’t we think of teleportation earlier?_

_Too late for that.  What’s your status?_

_Most of the bunkroom in hiding.  The group in the cages out and on their way to hiding.  I’m on my way to Clarke.  As soon as you get in here, we need you to try to meet us in the control room._

_What’s happened to Clarke?_

_How do you know something’s wrong?  I just said I was on my way to her._

_You had more worry than exasperation in your tone._

He gave a wry laugh.

_Get to Clarke.  Stay safe.  Either let me know when you need us to breach, or I’ll let you know when we do.  Whichever comes first._

_Sounds good, Reyes._

“Talked to Bellamy.  He said most of our people are being hidden by some good Samaritans as we speak.  Basically I think we just need to get in a clear an exit.”

“Better than we had hoped,” Murphy appraised.  “Let’s just—”

A strange sound came from further in the garage, interrupting whatever he was going to say.  He gave her a quizzical look and brought fire to both of his hands.  “Let’s check it out.”

She followed him, gesturing for the rest of their people to stay put.

Then a huge slab of rock seemed to almost melt out of the way and a figure came blinking out of the new cave.  She stared at the person.  “What the fuck?  Wick?”

 

* * *

 

 

“You’re not going to shoot me,” Clarke declared, staring down Cage.

“I’m not?”

“You need me.  You may not want to agree to the deal I’m offering, but if that’s the case you want me alive even more.  I am not only a Sky Person, but I’m Abled as well.  You’re not going to waste my blood by spraying it all over your office.” She stood and started walking around the desk, hoping, praying, she was right about his bluff.  She just needed to be within arms’ reach.

“Stay back on that side of the desk or I will shoot you,” Cage warned.  His voice was strong, but she could sense the tiniest bit of uncertainty in his eyes.

“You’re debating whether or not you really will shoot me; if I’m an acceptable loss to whatever sick and twisted science you’re conducting,” she stalled as she stepped closer.

Then she lunged, first hit knocking his wrist and sending the gun skidding across the floor.  He scrambled in his chair trying to find a way out.  But she was quicker; she kicked at the chair and sent it and him rolling into the wall behind him.  As she stalked forward, she pulled her knife from its sheath.

Hearing a commotion on the other side of the door, she immediately spun his chair to face it and stood behind him, knife to his throat.

Bellamy burst into the room, chest heaving, a slightly wild look in his eye until he fully took in the scene before him.  A small smile tugged the corners of his lips up.  “You know, if you were okay and had this completely under control you could have done me the decency of letting me know, so I didn’t race up here in a complete panic.”

Clarke couldn’t help but match his smile.  “I wasn’t exactly sure how it would go,” she shrugged.  “But I’d rather not have you worry while you were taking care of more important things.”

 _They’re fine.  They’re safe_ , he replied, knowing exactly what she was asking without saying it outright.  Her shoulders sagged with relief.

_So, um, I don’t really know where to go from here.  I offered him his and his people’s lives, basically us not attacking, in exchange for the release of our people.  But he refused.  And it’s going to be hours until our people are here and can actually pose a valid threat._

The grin on Bellamy’s face grew.  _About that…Glen used his teleportation Abilities and all of the Dropship and most of Exodus are waiting for a signal._

Her smile grew almost feral.  “So, Cage.  This is your last chance.  Either release our people or face the consequences.”

The man under her knife snarled.  “And what are you going to do?  You and him?  A two-man army?  You can’t take down Mount Weather.”

“Bu we’re not,” Bellamy told him with a casual shrug.  “We’ve got people standing right on your doorstep, just waiting for my signal to break in.  Not to mention, you yourself created a bunch of really pissed off Abled right here inside your Mountain already.  Oh, and by the way, they’re not still held up in the bunkroom.”

“They’re not the only ones not happy with you,” a girl Clarke hadn’t even noticed spoke from the doorway.  “Plenty of us aren’t quite as keen on murder as you and Dr. Tsing.”

Cage’s head swiveled toward the girl, or as much as it was able to with Clarke’s knife still pressed against his throat.  “Maya Vie.  I should have known you would ally yourself with them.  Especially after I saw you falling all over that gangly one.”

 _Oh, so this is Maya_ , Clarke thought to herself.  _Jasper picked a good one after all._ Then a more prudent thought struck her.

“Maya?” the girl met Clarke’s eyes in answer.  “You’re saying that not everyone would stand with the Wallaces and what they’re doing?”

Maya nodded her head rapidly.  “There has been some dissent for years now.  Just not enough power or authority to make a difference.”

“Is there an intercom system?  A way to talk to everyone in the Mountain at once?”

Her brow furrowed, but Bellamy had caught on to her train of thought and looked eager for Maya’s answer as well.  “Yeah.  I’m pretty sure that microphone on Cage’s desk is hooked up to it.”

Clarke turned to Bellamy.  “Tell them to breach, but not to attack yet.  I just want them in position.  And get Raven to the Control Room; tell her we’ll meet her there ASAP.”

Cage struggled slightly in the chair, desperately trying to get free.  She pressed the dirk deeper into his throat.

“Here,” Bellamy gestured for her to step back.  She cocked an eyebrow, but did.  Moving quickly and smoothly before Cage could make a move, Bellamy pulled him in a sleeper hold.  Moments later Cage was slumped in the chair unconscious.

“Do you want to do the honors or shall I?” Bellamy nodded his head toward the microphone.

Clarke smiled and walked over to it.  Pressing a button, she began to hear her voice echo throughout the Mountain.  “People of Mount Weather, this is Clarke Griffin of the Sky People.  I have come to take back my people.  I have an army that just entered the Mountain and are waiting on my command to attack, but I do not want unnecessary bloodshed.  If you fight, we will fight back; we are armed and Abled and we will not leave without our people.  If you do not want to fight simply lower yourself to your knees, hands on your head if we come across you, and follow any directions given.  Myself and _all_ of my people will be leaving the Mountain before the night is over, with or without your cooperation.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the dramatic ultimatum. How will Mount Weather respond? The world may never know. Just kidding! I plan to upload “Melee in the Mountain, Part III” on Saturday.  
> PS  
> What? Kyle Wick is there? How did he get to the Mountain? Want answers? Here’s my shameless self-promotion: If haven’t checked it out yet, I published “Meanwhile Kyle Wick…” a little over a week ago (I think it was a week ago). It’s a lovely tale about what Kyle Wick has been up to throughout the course of Heathens. And if you choose to believe it, an idea of where he is in canon. Forewarning, it’s pretty much just Wick…and some badgermoles, but it was a gift for my beta because we have inside jokes about Wick’s current location and occupation.


	22. Melee in the Mountain, Part III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke looked in horror at the battles before her on the screens. They had barely entered the Mountain and already she was watching people get broken and hurt. The Abled group from the Dropship was faring slightly better than the group from Exodus, even after they split, but not by much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so here is the Part III of “Melee in the Mountain” that wasn’t actually supposed to exist. But my brain and my fingers don’t know how to write the amount I originally plan, so here we are.

Monty couldn’t keep the joy from radiating in his smile.  Clarke was here and so was everyone else.  They were finally getting out of this hellhole. 

The smile might also have had something to do with seeing Nate walking through the door of Vincent’s apartment.  Nate’s face lit with the same happiness at seeing Monty.  He strode forward and wrapped his arms around Monty before he pulled back, cupping the other man’s cheeks and inspecting his face.  “Once we’re safe, we’re having Clarke heal that nose,” Nate proclaimed.

“What?  I thought a broken nose would give me character,” Monty replied.

“Sure, but it probably hurts like hell.”

Monty nodded and pulled away from Nate, so they could both sit on the couch; Nate immediately laced their fingers together.

“When did this happen?” Jasper asked, looking between the two.

“Um, after you went missing,” Monty replied, unsure of how to word it without a painful reminder.

“Huh. Well, good on you, Monty.  I was rooting for you for a while.  Miller’s a good guy.  But if he ever hurts you,” Jasper directed his attention to Nate, “you know exactly what my Ability is and the damage I can do.”

Nate’s cheeks darkened slightly with a blush.  “I don’t intend to ever hurt him,” he vowed.

“Good.  Now that the threats are out of the way…” he held up his hand for a high-five.

With a raised eyebrow, Nate hesitantly indulged him.  “Anyway…did you hear Clarke over the intercom?”

“We did.  Did you hear any of the Mountain Men’s reactions?  That’s what I’m interested in.”

“Not really.  I mean, I was only by Vincent and his friends, so they were all for it, but I couldn’t really hear any other people.  The guards from down the hall started talking louder, but I don’t think they’d be in favor of surrendering.”

“About what we figured then,” Monty tried to smile.

“As soon as I hear from Bellamy that people are making a move, I’m going out and fighting with them.  We don’t have the grounders right now, just Dropship and Exodus, so we don’t have the best numbers, or fighters.”

“I’m going too,” Jasper agreed readily.

“I physically supported you all the way to this apartment.  Somehow I don’t think you’ll be much help in a fight,” Monty protested.

“If I activate my Ability, I’ll just push past it.  No worries.”

“And then you die of pain and exhaustion afterward.”

“I thought that’s what Clarke was for,” Jasper tried with a smile.

Monty gave him a deadpan stare.  “Yeah, no.  Clarke’s not a miracle worker.  Okay, she is.  But she has her limits and she’ll be helping a lot of other people too.  Especially if it comes to a full out battle.”

“Reign it in unless you’re attacked directly,” Nate told Jasper.  “Hopefully it won’t even come to the residential section of the Mountain.  And then if it does, everyone will be glad you’re here and ready to defend it.”

“Don’t you encourage him.  Either of you,” Monty reprimanded, looking between the two men.  “Nate, you just Phased several dozen people through a wall to get them to safety; you need sleep more than anything right now.  If you get hurt because your reaction time is too slow, I’m never going to forgive you.”

“If it comes to a full battle, chances are I’d get hurt no matter how tired I am.”

“Not helping.”

Nate kissed Monty’s temple before putting his arm around him. “I promise I’ll be as careful as I can be.”

Monty leaned his head on Nate’s shoulder in response. “You’d better.”  He fixed Jasper with a hard glare, “And _you’re_ not leaving this apartment.”

“But—”

“No.”

 

* * *

 

 

Murphy stood next to Raven’s friend that had casually come crashing through the wall of the Mountain.  Seriously.  Out of nowhere.  Just a “Hey, dude, can you tone down that light?  Wait, Raven?” 

She had introduced the two of them before they all headed into the Mountain and she took off to the Control Room. Murphy had offered to go with her.  But as soon as he mentioned the phrase “for your protection” she had riled up and accused him of not believing she could take care of herself.  He had back-pedaled like his life depended on it and simply kissed her temple and wished her luck and safety as she crossed her arms and accepted it.  She had given him one tight-lipped smile and a quick kiss on the cheek before she was gone.

 _Blake, if anything happens to Raven on her way to you, I’m holding you personally responsible_ , he thought loudly and threateningly.

 _If something does, I’ll deserve it,_ the reply came.

Murphy huffed.  He had wanted someone to rag on and be angry at, if Bellamy was just going to accept responsibility for a potentiality, the anger at him wouldn’t even be worth it.  He turned toward Raven’s friend Wick.  “What the fuck were you doing inside the Mountain anyway.  You weren’t kidnapped like the others, were you?”

Wick shook his head.  “Nope.  I came down with Mecha station, but since I have an Earth Ability—I can control stone and rocks—I obviously wanted to go exploring.  Then I got lost.”

“So you were literally _in_ the mountain, not in a part of Mount Weather’s facilities?” Murphy raised an eyebrow.  “What’d you do?  Eat rocks?”

Wick laughed.  “Mostly some sketchy-looking mushrooms and other weird plants.  The badgermoles ate them and didn’t get sick, so I figured I would be fine.”

“So that giant-ass thing that was standing behind you was a ‘badgermole?’”

“That’s what I call them,” he shrugged.

Murphy shook his head wondering what other fucked up animals were now walk on, or in, the Earth as a result of the radiation.

 

* * *

 

 

Then a much awaited message came from Bellamy distracting him from his conversation.  _She’s here.  She’s safe. She said to say—and she’s making me tell you word for word, so this is all her and not me—“Fuck you for questioning whether I’d make it here.  I’ll have you know I took out two guards on my way in.”  But also to stay safe and she’ll see you when this is all over._

Murphy stopped himself before he laughed out loud; there was no doubt that message came from Raven and that meant that she was safe.  _Tell her I’m so, so sorry for worrying about her safety.  And that she’d better keep that promise of seeing each other when this is done._

There was a short pause in which Murphy assumed Bellamy was relaying his message. _Everybody ready on your end?_

 _Born ready_ , Murphy replied, bringing fire into his hands.  The effect was lost on Bellamy, but the people surrounding him perked up.

Another short pause.  _Exodus is all set from their entrance.  Remember, the plan is to clear a path to the residential halls, that’s where our people are hiding; I know a few of them will be working on their end as well.  Raven said your walkies should all be working now, so keep in contact with one another.  We’ll be watching from here and letting you know if trouble is headed your way.  Clarke’s still got her walkie and you know how to get in contact with me._

Then Clarke’s voice came over the intercoms.  “This is Clarke Griffin of the Sky People.  Again, we do not want bloodshed, but we will not hesitate if you attack first.  We will be entering the halls momentarily to collect our people.  Once we have all of them with us, we will leave.  Thank you for your cooperation.”

 _Let’s bring our people home_ , Bellamy’s voice echoed Clarke’s.  _Three levels down, two lefts, a right, and another left and you should be at residential._

 _Got it._ He replied to Bellamy before calling to his group, still somewhat baffled at how he ended up in charge of one of the raiding parties.  “Move out!”

They started down the stairs and didn’t even get one floor down when the stairs began to echo with gunshots.  _Seriously?  Do you know how bad ricochets are in enclosed metal staircases?_ Murphy thought aggressively.  He threw a fireball down the stairs ahead of him and raced after it.  Hoping it would distract them long enough to engage in hand to hand combat.  He made it to the landing and began to throw fire punches at the guards, keeping them dodging rather than attacking. 

Raven’s friend Wick stepped up next to him.  Rocks began to fly through the air, coming off the stone walls surrounding them.  He turned to Murphy and grinned.  “Badgermoles.  They’re great teachers.”

Murphy shook his head and just took another swing at the nearest guard.  The man cursed and leapt back.  He stared down at where his uniform was burnt.  Murphy threw another punch. But a few more guards pushed through the door and onto the landing.  It was getting a little too crowded for Murphy’s liking.  “We need to push them back out of the stairwell,” he called to his team. 

One of Wick’s rocks took a guard in the gut and threw him through the open door.  “You move on, leave like five with me and we’ll hold them back.”

Murphy looked around quickly, hoping he didn’t have to lose six of his numbers.  But they needed to keep moving.  Every minute they wasted here was another minute their people were at risk.  He curved an arch of fire in front of himself to keep his opponents back so he could think for a second.  “Alright.  Five of you stay.  Hold this landing.  Do not let them follow us down.  The rest move out.” He threw another fireball at the group of guards and hurried down the stairs, praying that Wick was correct in his assumption he could hold them off.

He could hear the sounds a battle for the next two flights downward, but kept his focus ahead.  Jasper, Miller, and Monty, and the rest of their people were not too far away.

 

* * *

 

      

Clarke looked in horror at the battles before her on the screens.  They had barely entered the Mountain and already she was watching people get broken and hurt.  The Abled group from the Dropship was faring slightly better than the group from Exodus, even after they split, but not by much.  She turned her head slightly and caught Bellamy watching her.  “Don’t you dare open yourself up to their pain,” he told her sternly, but his eyes were soft with concern.

“Like how you’re not opening yourself to their thoughts?” she asked sardonically.

He grimaced.  “I’m trying to just focus on our people, the leaders—Murphy, Kane, Miller—in case they reach out.”

“But you’re not fully succeeded at keeping it so minimized.” It wasn’t a question.  She reached out and squeezed his hand for a little comfort and met his eyes, offering a small smile which he returned.

“Mountain Men headed toward residential,” Raven shattered their bubble.

Bellamy broke eye contact.  “I’ll let Miller know immediately.”

Sure enough seconds later, Clarke spotted Miller emerging from one of the doors and giving a quick four raps on several of the other doors which then produced a number of their Abled friends.  The group headed toward the end of the residential hall and pulled up a holding pattern.

She looked to the Exodus group again.  They were stuck only one floor down.  Kane was using his Ability and using metal sheets to wrap around and incapacitate the guards, but he was unpracticed.  There were minimal numbers of Ark-trained guards with him, some of them having left with Pike and others needed to stay back and make sure nothing happened at camp, but she thought she saw Mr. Miller among them.  She prayed that he would survive the raid and reunite with his son. 

She found her mother in the group next.  There was no way Abby Griffin would have stayed at camp and done nothing, especially since Clarke had gone into the Mountain without warning.  She watched as her mother raised a gun, trained it on a Mount Weather guard, and pulled the trigger, a doctor turned killer. 

The Mountain Men returned fire and Clarke watched as two men from Exodus fell.  From here she couldn’t tell if they were dead or just injured.  Either way she sucked in a breath.  Why couldn’t the Mountain Men have just listened?  They would have been in and out and no one would have gotten hurt.

Bellamy’s hand found hers again and gave it another squeeze.

 

* * *

 

 

Murphy’s energy was slowly draining; he had never had to keep fighting, using his Ability, being vigilant, and all the other shit he was doing for such a long time before.  He had left another small contingent of his group near the staircase and told them to hold it, whatever it took.  Because if they got cut off from their exit, the whole lot of them, rescuees and rescuers would be royally fucked.

He started to turn down the next hall but pulled up short at the sight of a group of ten or so Mountain Men guards.  His group stopped at his sharp gesture and Murphy peered around the corner for a second time. 

“Maybe a dozen guards around the next corner.  I don’t think they spotted us yet, but they probably will as soon as we turn this corner so be ready,” he nodded to the fifteen or so people he had left with in.

The nodded back seriously and Murphy turned, fire tickling up his arms per usual; at this point his fire was a much a comfort as a defense.  He breathed in the heat and turned the corner. 

“Don’t shoot!  Don’t attack!  We’re getting down on our knees!” the call came from the guards as they, true to their word, got to their knees and placed their guns and batons on the floor.

Murphy paused, taken aback.  Masayo looked at him quizzically as if Murphy understood what was happening.  “Hands on your heads,” Murphy barked to the guards, glad his confusion at their lack of attack wasn’t evident in his voice.  The guards complied.  “We’re going to move past you to get to our people who are in residential.  We won’t attack as long as you make no sudden movements,” Murphy called down the hall.

“We won’t.  We won’t,” they called assurances.

Murphy moved cautiously down the hall toward the group, his people at his back.  Everyone was on edge.  This was the first unit of guards that hadn’t immediately gone for the kill at the sight of them.

He watched them warily the whole time they walked passed the men on their knees, skirting along the wall to keep distance between the two despite the apparent non-resistance.  Only once his entire company was twenty paces past the guards did Murphy let out a breath of relief.

But he relaxed too soon. 

The cocking of guns sounded seconds before a spray of bullets.  Murphy turned around just in time to see three of his group fall forward, blood spraying from wounds.  “Down!” he yelled at the rest, even though they were already instinctively dropping to the floor.

Murphy threw a blazing fire arc down the hall at the guards.  He was preparing a second when he felt a piercing heat, very unlike his fire, spear his left shoulder.  Then another pierced through his right thigh.

As he collapsed on the ground he was vaguely aware that he had just been shot.

 

* * *

 

 

“MURPHY!!!”  Raven screamed.

Bellamy broke his gaze away from watching the group from Exodus to search for the screen with Murphy.  The sight was not a good one.  Half of Murphy’s groups was down, lying in pools of blood.  Including Murphy.

_Miller, get down the hall to where you heard gunfire.  They’ve taken a heavy hit.  Murphy’s…Murphy’s down.  I don’t know…_

His pain and worry was mirrored back to him.  _I’m on it._

“Clarke, Clarke, you have to get to him!  You have to save him!”  Raven had turned her chair to plead with Clarke, grasping the other woman’s hands in hers.

Clarke’s vision was glued to the screen.  Every inch of her face was lined with terror and horror as the guards rose from the position and stalked toward the fallen group of Abled.  One of them was leaning over Murphy when a figure flew through the nearest wall and knocked him over.  Miller.  Bellamy heaved a sigh of relief.  Seconds later, a group of their people came around the second corner to join the fray.

“Clarke!” Raven demanded.

Clarke just looked from screen to screen taking in the violence and death, her brow drawn into concern.  “It’s too much.  We’re losing.” She shook her head.  Her mind was whirring through next options.  Other things they could do.  He noticed one she kept coming back to even though she kept rejecting it.  Bellamy caught her eye and gave a subtle nod; it was their only option.

“Maya,” Clarke began, he could hear the edge of heartbreak in it.  “Is there a way to section off the Mountain.  I didn’t want to do this, but it’s getting too bad.  We’re losing too many.”

“You’re going to open a breach,” Maya said solemnly, somehow having reached the same conclusion as Clarke.  He could tell how much she despised the action of some of her people, but he never thought she would have ended up here.

Clarke nodded.

“I don’t know _how_ to section off, but I can tell you where the divides in the walls are that would cause an area to be cut off from the rest.”

“Tell Raven where.  Try to keep the civilians on one side and the guards on the other.  It doesn’t matter where our people are.”

“What about Murphy?” Raven asked despairingly, “He’s, he’s…Clarke.” Her voice broke on the plea.

Clarke took both of Raven’s hands in hers and matched their gazes.  “I know.  I know.  He’s going to be the first place I go.  I just—if I try to go now, without doing this,” she was struggling to get the words out, trying to force her strength behind them.   “If I go now, I have gods know how many guards between us and it will take too long and I won’t make it in time.  I need you to focus.  I need you to work with Maya and get this done so we can end this.  I promise I will do everything I can for Murphy.  I promise.”

He watched as Raven refocused herself, forcing herself to lean on her reserves and take a note from Clarke.  And turned to Maya for instruction on where the barriers were.  Then her fingers were flying over the keyboard.  “You’d better hold on, Murphy,” she muttered under her breath.

Clarke turned to look at him, sadness in her eyes.  “We’re doing the right thing, right?  They’re not giving us another choice?”

He knew his sorrow mirrored hers, but there was no way he was going to let her bear this burden herself.  “If we want to make it out of this Mountain alive, we’re making the right choice.  You gave them an out.  You told them you didn’t want bloodshed and all they had to do was stand down.”

She nodded once and turned back to watch Raven and Maya.  Her hand sought his blindly, searching for something to anchor her in the weight of emotions she was feeling.  It was only after he gleaned that sentiment from her feelings did he notice that his matched it.  Clarke grounded him.  She was his strength and support, just as he was hers; they’d be lost without each other.

“But you’re in this section,” Raven exclaimed.  Bellamy refocused his attention.

“I know,” Maya replied evenly.  “But it’s in the same ventilation system as all the guards attacking your people from Exodus.”

“But if I breach that section you’ll…”

“I know.  I’m willing to do this for you.  I can’t let Cage and his people continue their work.  Even if you left them alive, they would have just had another raiding party ready within a week.  They wouldn’t stop.”

“What’s going on?” Bellamy asked, concerned.

“The section that the guards battling Exodus are in is part of the same ventilation system as this room.  If I breach it, it’ll kill Maya too.”

“Maya we can’t ask you…You’re the one who has been helping us,” Bellamy protested.

Maya smiled.  “You’re not asking; I’m telling you that you need to breach this section. It’s where the majority of the guards are.  Not only those with Exodus, but this reserve group here,” she pointed to a screen, “that are just setting out as reinforcements, they’re in this section, too.”

 _She’s not going to be the only mistake we make,_ Clarke’s thought wandered over to him unbidden.  “Is there any other way to section off?” Clarke asked aloud.

Raven shook her head.  “The schematics won’t allow it.”

 _Acceptable losses,_ Clarke answered herself.  He watched her eyes drift to the screen where their people were getting pinned down.  “Okay, get it all set up, but don’t execute yet.”

Raven made a few more keystrokes.  “All you have to do is pull this lever here,” she indicated on the panel.  “It’ll open the outside hatch.”

“Good.  Now take Maya and head for the nearest section of the Mountain that won’t be breached.  Bellamy, tell Miller to drop whatever he’s doing and meet them as quickly as possible.”

“What are you thinking?” Maya asked quietly.

“That if we can get you out of into an unbreached area you won’t die.”

“But it’ll take time for me to get there.  You don’t have that time.”

“I’ll give you two minutes to get as close as possible.  If you’re on the wrong side,” Clarke’s voice caught.  She cleared her throat and continued.  “If you don’t make it, Miller will still Phase you to the other side of the section.  I’ll be there as soon as I can.” _Maya then Murphy,_ her thought resounded.  “Miller’s on his way?”

“Not yet.  I don’t know where to send him.”

“Tell him to head for the bunkroom,” Raven said, having been studying the layout on the screen.  “Tell him to grab a walkie and I’ll take Clarke’s.”  The two of them were out the door.

Bellamy nodded.  _Miller._

 _Yeah._ He was surveying the damage in front of him, a dozen dead or unconscious Mountain guards and half as many dead Abled.

_We need you to get to the bunkroom immediately.  We’re going to breach.  And we’re trying to get Maya out of the breach zone._

There was confusion and understanding.  _I’ll get there as soon as possible._

Bellamy turned to Clarke.  “He’s on his way.”

She nodded and bit her lip, but said nothing.  She was staring at the clock. Thinking about the massacre she was about to commit.

“I can do it,” he told her.

She broke her staring contest with the clock to look at him.  “Do what?”

“Pull the lever.  You don’t…you were just thinking that you’re a Healer that you’re about to do the opposite.  I know how you felt after the one in the gorge,” he referenced the kill she had made during Mount Weather’s raid on Exodus.

She shook her head.  “This is my decision.  I need to take responsibility for it.”

“No.  It was our decision.  You kept rejecting it until I told you it was our only option.”

“It’s just...”

“You’re the Healer; I’m the assassin, remember?”

“Bellamy,” she said sadly, turning to face him fully.  She brought her hand up to his cheek to ensure he was looking her in the eyes.  “You are so much more than that stupid label the Ark gave you.  You care for your people in a way so few can.  You hear their pain in thoughts; you know how they feel.”

He took a deep breath, letting it out raggedly.  “Right back at you, Princess,” he smiled.  “Together?”

She stepped away from him and placed her hand on the lever.  “Together.”

Bellamy placed his hand on top of hers.  They held for a beat and watched as the clock ticked to the second minute after Maya and Raven had left. 

They pulled the lever. Bellamy retreated far into his river scene as he could and hoped that Clarke had done the same.  It wasn’t quite enough, he could still hear the screaming thoughts in the distance and looked to Clarke to see her eyes were closed.  She swallowed hard.  The silence in the room was overwhelming.

 _Bellamy!_ Raven’s voice pierced his tranquil bubble with the direct address.  _Tell Clarke to get here ASAP.  Maya got caught in the breach. Oh wait, here’s Miller, but she’s still…_

He must have tensed or gave some other indication because Clarke’s wide eyes were looking at him in question.  “Maya didn’t quite make it.  Miller’s there now, bringing her over to the other side of the wall, but…”

“Maya then Murphy,” Clarke pronounced, echoing her earlier sentiment.  He could tell she was glad to have something to do, some mission to fulfill to take her mind off what they had just done.  She stopped halfway to the door, turned, gave him a small smile and a wistful thought he didn’t quite catch.  And then she was racing down the hall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, that was emotionally taxing to write. I literally had to stop and take breathers before writing certain sections. It’s almost worse because I know what’s going to happen. But it’s more than that even, I have to make it happen. I had to shoot Murphy. I didn’t want to do it. I’m still upset with myself for hurting him.


	23. Is It Really Over?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Monty and Octavia went to go grab us some grub,” Jasper supplied readily. “Since the service around here SUCKS!”  
> “Sorry we’re not as attentive to our needy, loud-mouth patients as you’d like,” Octavia said jovially as she entered the room with a bowl in each hand. “Bell! You’re back!” She hurriedly gave one of the bowls to Murphy, the other to Raven.  
> “Good to see you too, O,” he smiled, wrapping his arms around her. It had only been a bit over a day since he had last seen her, but the reunion in Mount Weather had left something to be desired.  
> “I’ll go get a couple more bowls,” she replied, pulling away. “Go find Clarke and pull her away from whatever patient she’s checking for the hundredth time and we can have our full squad for dinner.”  
> “It’s been too long,” Raven agreed from her spot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of this chapter is two-fold. The characters questioning whether their conflict with the Mountain could really be over, and me questioning myself if this could really be the last chapter of _All My Friends Are Heathens_.
> 
> I may or may not have put off writing this chapter (hence why the update took longer than anticipated) because I wasn’t ready to leave this ‘verse yet. BUT, there may or may not be a surprise in regards to that in the endnotes. I guess, you’ll just have to wait and see. Or you could cheat and look now. Whatever floats your goat. You do you.

_People laid on the ground, skin blistering, eyes staring vacant.  A few gasping for breath.  Others moaning in pain.  She tried to block out their agony.  She was on a mission.  “Maya then Murphy.  Maya then Murphy.”  The phrase echoed like a heartbeat._

_She reached a barrier.  “Miller!” she shouted, pounding on the door.  She needed to get to Maya.  Maya and then Murphy._

_She felt fingers wrap around her ankle in a weak grip.  Looking down, a blistering face stared back.  “You did this,” the woman accused, demanding, “Feel our pain.”_

_As if on command, she couldn’t block it out anymore.  Radiation burns shouted to be Healed.  Hundreds screamed in her brain.  She picked out Maya’s hurt.  But she was paralyzed.  She couldn’t move to help the other woman.  Too much pain._

_A piercing burn of a different nature in her shoulder.  One in her thigh.  That was Murphy’s pain.  She tried to move.  Tried to call for Miller to get her through the damn wall to help them.  But she couldn’t._

_The cries of anguish were drowning her.  She felt it all.  Then she couldn’t feel anything._

 

Clarke lurched to a seated position, gasping for air. “It’s just a dream.  It’s just a dream,” she repeated to herself.  A small voice in her head replied, _one that you lived_.  Clarke dismissed the voice, even while acknowledging it was partially right.  The sun was high in the sky.  She got to her feet and let them lead her back to Exodus’s medbay.  It had barely been a day since she had left Mount Weather with the wounded. 

Some of the others had stayed behind to help get things back in order.  Bellamy and some of the Arkadian guards rounded up anyone who had been on the safe side of the breach but were still resistant to the change in power; Kane and Raven’s friend, Wick, were working to fix any damaged parts of the facility; and Raven began the air cleansing filters which would put the Mountain back in working order. 

They should be back soon.  At least that’s what Octavia had said when she came to camp.  She and the grounders had made it to the Mountain only in the aftermath.  Clarke hadn’t even known they were there until she started seeing grounders who had also been held captive by Mount Weather coming through the triage holding the hands of their friends and family; the TriKru warriors had immediately found their brethren and were bringing the worst of them to the Mountain Slayer, the name they had begun calling her after learning of her actions.

“You look awful.  I thought I told you to sleep,” her most obnoxious patient greeted her.

“Gee thanks, Murphy,” she rolled her eyes. 

“Do I have to get Bellamy down here to _make_ you go to sleep?  You’re dead on your feet, Clarke.”  She knew it was bad when through the teasing she could hear concern in his voice.

She shook her head.  “Sleep wasn’t doing me much good, anyway.  I close my eyes and I just see all those people…”

She felt someone lay a hand on her arm.  She almost jumped, remembering the woman in her dream, until she realized it was Jasper who was lying in the bed next to Murphy’s.  “It’ll pass eventually.  At least I hope it will.  I’m not really up for reliving those experiments every night.”

She gave him a small smile.  “We can only hope.  Well, I’m going to…” she made a vague gesture to the other patients in medbay.

“No Healing,” Murphy instructed.  “Just check on them, re-wrap bandages, you know the drill.  Or I really will find a walkie and demand that Bellamy get his ass down here and knock some sense into you.”

“No Healing, promise,” she told him, moving away to check on the others in the room.

 

* * *

 

 

Bellamy stood in front of Maya, her father, and a couple others from the Mountain.  “Thank you for all that you’ve done.  We are so grateful,” one of them told to him sincerely.

He bit back the harsh reply that the actions he took did not deserve thanks; what he had done would haunt him for the rest of his life.  It had been one thing to know that it was their last resort, to pull the lever with Clarke; it was a completely different thing to walk out of that room and see the destruction they caused, to feed the bodies into the Mountain’s incinerators one by one.

He nodded once with a tight lipped smile before turning to Maya.  “You guys are all set?”

She smiled from the wheel chair Clarke had told her to use for the next few days to regain her strength.  “Thanks to all you’ve done putting Mount Weather back in working order.”

“And you’ll try to set up a meeting for us with the Outsiders?” Vincent asked.  “So, we can prove to them that we have different people in charge and there will be no more raids.”

Bellamy nodded.  “Clarke and I will likely be going to talk to her in the next few days.  We’ll put in a word for you, but no guarantees.  The grounders that came through to take home their comrades—and the fact that you let the grounder prisoners go in the first place—that will go a lot further with their commander than any word from Clarke or me.”

“Every little bit helps.”

Raven butted in, anxious to be back at camp to check on Murphy in person; walkie conversation could only go so far in reassuring her he was fine.  “The air cleansing should be complete in two more days.  I’ll come back and double check then, so don’t go opening up the doors between you and the breached part of the Mountain until you get the okay from me.”

“Understood.”

“Then I guess we’re going,” Bellamy announced.  “You have the walkie Raven left you—she booted it, so it will reach us at our camp—if you need anything.  Miller, take us out.”

“I think I’m going to go on a no Phasing kick for a while after this,” he grumbled, “at least no Phasing other people.”  He settled himself halfway through the wall and held out a hand.  Kane grasped it and Miller passed him through the wall before the hand returned to help another person to the other side. At least once they were on the other side of the breach divide, Bellamy could use a door to leave the Mountain; he did _not_ want to Phase through the meters of stone like last time.  He shivered at the memory.

 

 ...

 

There entered Exodus’s camp and Bellamy allowed himself the smallest of smiles when Bryne wasn’t waiting there for them and demanding they hand over their weapons.  But her absence reminded him he still needed to talk to someone about Pike, Diana, and the others’ departure; he was still a little fuzzy on the details.

As the ragtag group dispersed as they moved further into camp, several people looked up from their tasks and gave them a nod of acknowledgement or a wave.  Sinclair looked, waved, and did a double take as they passed on their way to medbay.  Bellamy knew that’s where he’d find Clarke and likely the others.

“Kyle?” Sinclair asked incredulously.  “Where have you been?  Charles said you left.”

Wick smiled graciously at his old boss.  “Oh, I got lost in the caves and then met up with some badgermoles.”

“Badgermoles?”

Raven jumped in with a laugh.  “He just came out of a secret tunnel or some shit right before we were about to go into the Mountain.  But, hey, if he wanted to join us, far be it from me to stop him.  Murphy said he was pretty invaluable during the fighting, too.”

Sinclair raised an eyebrow.  “You?  Fighting?”

Wick shrugged.  “I can control rock and stone, always could.  The badgermoles taught me a lot more though.” He launched into a full story of his time inside the depths of the mountain.

Bellamy laid a hand on his shoulder.  “We’re going to keep headed to medbay,” he whispered.

“Go find your girl,” the man replied with an enthusiastic thumb’s up.

Bellamy’s jaw gaped for a second and Raven’s started chuckling, pushing him forward.  “What?  We had to talk about _something_ while Mount Weather’s systems were rebooting.”

His jaw snapped shut, and he furrowed his brow, unsure how to respond to _that_.  Raven pushed past him and entered medbay.  He followed her in and to where Murphy and Jasper were propped up in beds.

“Scoot over,” Raven greeted Murphy.  He rolled his eyes, but obligingly slid to the left so she could sit down next to him.  His arm settled around her shoulder and she snuggled into to him, her mind humming in contentment.

Miller’s gaze was casting about, looking for his own significant other.  “Monty and Octavia went to go grab us some grub,” Jasper supplied readily.  “Since the service around here SUCKS!”

“Sorry we’re not as attentive to our needy, loud-mouth patients as you’d like,” Octavia said jovially as she entered the room with a bowl in each hand.  “Bell!  You’re back!”  She hurriedly gave one of the bowls to Murphy, the other to Raven.

“Good to see you too, O,” he smiled, wrapping his arms around her.  It had only been a bit over a day since he had last seen her, but the reunion in Mount Weather had left something to be desired.

“I’ll go get a couple more bowls,” she replied, pulling away.  “Go find Clarke and pull her away from whatever patient she’s checking for the hundredth time and we can have our full squad for dinner.”

“It’s been too long,” Raven agreed from her spot.

Monty walked in as Octavia walked out, giving her a quizzical look until he spotted the group.  He lit up at the sight of Miller and gave him a peck on the lips before handing one bowl to Jasper and the other to Miller.  “I’ll go help Octavia with the other bowls and be right back,” he promised.

“And I’ll go track down Clarke,” Bellamy added, “Any specific direction you think she’d be in?”

“Try next door,” Murphy said around bites of food.  “Medbay has had to expand a little bit.”

Bellamy nodded and headed in that direction.  As soon as he entered the adjacent room, he saw her crouched down next to the bed of a young girl.  The girl had been caught in one of the last ditch attacks by the Mountain Men, those that were on the safe side of the breach and wanted to cause last minute damage to the Sky People who were on their way out.

Clarke turned to look at him.  Even though he immediately recognized how tired she looked, he also noticed a slight pink on her cheeks.  _Hey, Princess,_ he greeted.  He didn’t know why he projected to her rather than crossed the room and simply speak.  It just made him feel a little closer to her, that intimate connection.  _Ready for some dinner?  We’ve got the whole group together in the other room._

She smiled and him and nodded.  _Just give me one second._ Turning back to the girl, she shook her head vehemently but with a smile on her face.  “See you around, Katie.”

“You too.  Tell Miller and everyone I say, ‘Hi.’”

“Will do.”  Then she stood and wandered over to Bellamy who had waited in the doorway.   

Without thinking he tucked her under his arm and brought her close.  “Have you even slept at all since you got back?” he asked, noting the dark circles under her eyes.

“Easier said than done,” she retorted looking up at him.  “You’re not looking your best either.”

“Rough couple days,” he joked.

She snorted.  “Tell me about it.”

As they all sat in a circle eating dinner, most everyone was cheerful and happy, glad that the ordeal with the Mountain was over.  Clarke smiled along with them, but Bellamy could tell she had a heavy weight holding her down, one that matched the mantle he was carrying.

“I still can’t believe I missed all the action,” Octavia cried indignantly.  He felt Clarke tense next to him. “Seriously.  You all get teleported there and I missed all the fun.”

Clarke tensed more. “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” she growled under her breath.

“By the time we got there, there were no more Mountain Men to fight,” Octavia continued, neither noticing the tension in Clarke nor hearing her mutterings.

“You seriously wanted to be there?” Clarke asked louder, an edge in her voice.  “You wanted to fight?  You wanted to kill people?”

Octavia looked at her, taken aback.  “No,” she shot back.  Bellamy could tell her hackles were rising at the smell of confrontation.  “I just wanted to help get my friends back.”

“Sure, but it sounds a hell of a lot like you’re mad you didn’t get in on the fighting.”

“Yeah, because I could have made a difference.  TriKru could have made a difference.”

Clarke swallowed hard and he caught her blinking back tears.  Her mind was reeling.  The question of if things would be different if she had just waited for Octavia and TriKru; if half of the Mountain wouldn’t be dead by her doing, reverberated around her skull.  She shut off those emotions quickly, holding on to the little bit of ire and letting it grow and fill out her voice.  “Well, you weren’t there.  You didn’t have to make the hard decisions.  You didn’t have to kill anyone just to make sure your friends walked out of there in one piece!  You don’t get to talk about it like it was some great sparring battle or sports game you missed and are disappointed that you did.  You don’t—” Clarke’s voice cracked.  She slammed her bowl on the ground in front of her and walked out.  A moment later she directed a thought to him, _Please don’t follow me, Bell.  I just want a moment to myself._ She knew him too well; his bowl had already been placed on the ground in anticipation of following her.  He settled back into his seat.

“What’s her problem?” Octavia huffed.  “I didn’t mean it like _that_.”

“Shove it, O.  You really don’t understand,” Bellamy barked.  He softened his voice, realizing he had been feeding off Clarke’s emotions.  “Sorry.  It’s just, you know what we did, what we had to do.”  Octavia’s brow wrinkled in confusion, but waited for him to continue; she was used to him reacting to others’ emotions, so she didn’t take his initial outburst to heart.  “And you know how I can hear people’s pain through their thoughts?  Even with the whole river thing, if there’s a lot, too much, it gets through anyway…” She closed her eyes and nodded, realizing what he was getting at.  “Well, Clarke is kind of like that, too.  Except hers is only pain and hurt and injury.  And it’s all screaming for her to Heal it and make it go away.”

Octavia looked more than chastised.  “I should, I should go apologize.”

Bellamy shook his head.  “Give her some time.  She wants to be alone for a bit.”

Octavia nodded solemnly.  The whole mood of the group had dampened significantly from where it had started the evening.

Bellamy made a silent promise to himself.  He knew how much Clarke was hurting.  And he knew more than anything he didn’t want to add to it.  Until he could get his own grasp of the emotional toll from the actions they’d taken in the Mountain, he’d keep it to himself.  He didn’t want her to burden herself with his grief in addition to hers.

 

* * *

 

 

It was the third day since they had gotten their people out of Mount Weather, when Clarke and Bellamy were finally going to TonDC to talk to Lexa.  Clarke just hoped she hadn’t left for Polis yet.  But they were in luck.

They entered the usual building, Bellamy gesturing for Clarke to go first, keeping his usual three feet minimum distance from her.  It was something he had been doing since dinner a couple nights ago.  Before dinner he had greeted her with a casual hug, tucking her into his side as they made their way to the next room.  But after her little explosion at Octavia, he had been keeping his distance ever so slightly.  Nothing obvious; he still talked to her, still worked alongside her.  But no physical contact and no exchanges about anything other than the task at hand.

She had already reconciled with Octavia.  She apologized for snapping and unloading onto her unfairly, and Octavia apologized for coming off blasé or uncaring about what Clarke had to do in the Mountain.  They were in a good place again.  But her relationship with the other Blake had taken a turn.  And any time she tried to bring it up to him, Bellamy just brushed it off or claimed he didn’t know what she was talking about.

Clarke sighed and stepped into what she had come to think of as Lexa’s audience chambers.  Surprisingly, the commander was sitting on a pillow on the ground sharing tea with an elderly woman.  The prior looked up at their entrance.  “I’ve been wondering when you were going to come.  I am leaving for Polis the day after tomorrow.  I was going to send you a messenger if you didn’t arrive by this afternoon.”

“I should be going then, Lexa,” the elderly woman rose gracefully to her feet.  “I am so glad you made time to have tea with me before you left.”

“Anything for you, Nan,” Lexa replied softly.  It was the most open that Clarke had ever seen the woman.

The woman placed a maternal kiss on Lexa’s forward and turned toward the door.  She stopped next to Clarke and Bellamy and waggled a finger.  “You two had better work out your shit.  Life will be a lot easier, and happier, if the two of you stay partners.”  Then she walked out the door.  Clarke stood slightly flabbergasted in the woman’s wake.  When she looked at Lexa, she was giving the two of them a considering look.

Bellamy coughed and broke the spell that had held the room.  “So, I assume you want a full run-down of what actually happened in the Mountain. Since you weren’t exactly there lending a hand.” He ended with a pointed tone.

“Please, sit,” Lexa gestured to the two cushions that were also at the low table.  “Nan had me put on a second pot just before you arrived.”

She and Bellamy sat down, somewhat unsure of the unusual seating arrangement as compared to what they had grown accustomed.

“Nan is…?” Clarke’s curiosity getting the better of her.

“My grandmother,” Lexa replied simply.  “She is also a precognate, which is likely the answer you were looking for; I like to see her whenever I can.  But she mostly keeps her precognitions to herself.”

Clarke nodded once, still trying to figure out what exactly Nan had meant when she had addressed Clarke and Bellamy.  Clarke had her own ideas, but she thought she was likely just projecting.

“The Mountain?” Lexa inquired.  “I got reports from Lincoln and Indra, but they said you all seemed rather reluctant to explain it all.  We are grateful for the return of our people as well; I acknowledge that it likely would not have happened if not for you and your actions.”

Bellamy clenched his jaw in Clarke’s peripherals.  That was another thing that was different; he didn’t project to her nearly as often as he used to.  It was another subtle difference, but one she wasn’t happy with.

“We got in, we fought, too many people were getting hurt or killed, we caused a breach, and killed half of their people.  What more do you need to know?” Bellamy asked tersely.

Lexa cocked her head and narrowed her eyes.  “I guess nothing.  You did what was best for your people, and mine; it is what I would have done.  Though perhaps I wouldn’t have spared the other half.  All it takes is one festering apple to ruin the bunch.  But we’ll never know what I would have done.”

“You would have killed the people helping you?  The only reason you were in the position to save your people?” Clarke questioned, thinking of Maya’s quiet smile.

“We’ll never know,” was all she replied.

Clarke closed her eyes briefly, trying to regain her composure; she truly did not understand this woman sometimes, or the grounders in general.

“Do you have any news on the Pike and Diana front?” Bellamy asked.  Octavia had given him a full rundown of the situation sometime in the past few days.  “I know there are some people back at Exodus who would appreciate an update.”

“They moved quicker than we had anticipated.  And we were distracted by your ongoings with the Mountain.  While swift justice is better, true justice is not lost by time; when my scouts return with their location, blood will have blood.”

“You’ll keep us informed?”

“Of course.  And if we need your help, I assume you’ll stand by us, per the accord.”

Clarke and Bellamy’s faces dropped in incredulous frustration.  “We said we would stand aside and let you live by your _jus drein, jus daun_ philosophy.  We didn’t say we were going to help you track down and kill our people!”

“Is that not part of the accord?  Stand by one another in times of conflict?”

“Then where the fuck were you while we were in Mount Weather?” Bellamy accused loudly.

Lexa remained passive.  “We were on our way.  It’s not our fault you made a move before we were fully prepared to support you.”

Clarke felt like she was being backed into a corner.  And that the corner was exactly where Lexa wanted them to be. 

But, like any cornered animal, Bellamy snapped at the person who put him there.  “You fucking manipulative bitch!  This is what you wanted the whole time!  An army of Abled at your beck and call!  I knew there was something more to the accord!  You let it happen too easily!  I should have seen through it!” 

 “Bellamy!  Bellamy!” Clarke hissed, trying to calm him down, even though she was just as irate.  Even if Lexa was more manipulative than she had given her credit for, it didn’t change the fact that they probably wouldn’t survive the winter without help.

“What?!” Bellamy turned his rage on her.  “You can’t really expect me to just sit here while she—”

She lifted a single eyebrow and fixed him with a look.  _Calm. The fuck. Down. We’ll get nowhere if you just yell._

He looked away and simmered in his anger, but didn’t respond. 

 _Fine.  Be pissed at me or whatever you’ve been doing for the past few days_ , she thought, grimacing internally and hoping he didn’t catch the slight hurt in her tone.

He winced and she knew that he had.

She turned to Lexa who had simply sat docilely through Bellamy’s tirade.  “I understand that we moved before we had planned.  But it all worked out in the end.  Speaking of which, Vincent Vie, who is temporarily in charge in Mount Weather until they can formalize something, would like to talk to you or a representative of your people.  You can either contact him directly at the Mountain, or we have the means to do so at our camp.”

Lexa nodded magnanimously.  “I will take it under advisement.”

“They really are different, the ones that are currently in charge.  They had been protesting the kidnapping of your people.”

Lexa met her eyes with a cold look.  “They should have tried harder.”

“What you said earlier, in regards to the accord, care to expand on that?” Clarke made sure her tone brooked no argument.

A small smile twitched on the other woman’s lips recognizing the tone and the way Clarke had distracted with a change in topics, only to come back blatantly and full-forced at the real question.  “Yes.  It is part of what I discussed with Nan, why she came to see me.  There’s an uprising coming from the north, the outcome of which is still unclear to Nan.  But from what we can tell, that is the direction in which your Pike and Diana went.  That is why I mentioned it in such a way.”

It was all becoming clear.  “You knew about this uprising, or at least its imminent potential.  That’s why you were so interested in us.  Why you wanted to know about our Abled and our technology and other capabilities.  That’s why you agreed to form an accord.”  She was saying basically all the same things as Bellamy, but in a calmer tone; laying out the facts rather than screaming an accusation.

“Yes.”

“And you know we still need the accord.  Just for basic survival.  With winter coming.”

“Yes.”

Bellamy was still simmering next to her; if he had Murphy’s Ability, she wouldn’t have been surprised to see steam rising from his ears. Clarke took a deep breath.  “We will, of course, have to bring this news back to our people.  We were already planning to start asking for volunteers to go to other villages as we had agreed upon.”

“We’re just giving in?  Just like that?” Bellamy barked.  A small part of Clarke recognized that this was something he would have projected to her a couple days ago, rather than speak it out loud.

“We need them, just like they need us.  Plus, the way I see it.  If we don’t help Lexa and her people and they get overrun by this uprising or whatever it is, whoever is behind it, isn’t going to stop and forget about us. We’d be next. And without the grounders we’d probably be screwed.”

She saw the light of realization in his eyes when she connected the dots for him.  _And here I thought I was finally going to get to know peace while living on the ground._   She wasn’t sure if he meant to send that to her.  Either way, she didn’t respond.  Two can play that game, Bellamy.

“If you don’t mind” she addressed Lexa.  “I think we need some time to process.”

“Of course.” Lexa stood and led them to the door like she was a hostess at a social call.  “And I want you to know, Clarke.  You are always welcome to join me in Polis, whether or not you heed Nan’s warning.”

Clarke furrowed her brow and tried to remember what Nan had said to her, but nodded an acknowledgement to Lexa before she left the building.

Once they were outside the gates of TonDC, Bellamy turned to her.  “I think I’m going to wander a little.  Take the long way back.  Just think.”

“You don’t want to talk about this?”

“No, I…a lot happened in Mount Weather.  And then with this on top of it…?” He trailed off, not giving her an actual answer.

“Fine,” she snapped. “Whatever the hell you want!”  She stomped off into the woods in the opposite direction.

She was halfway back to camp when a thought occurred to her.  _He blames me for what we did in Mount Weather._

 

* * *

 

 

It had been several days since the meeting with Lexa.  Arkadia was mostly running smoothly again; Exodus’s med bay was clearing out and the Dropship was being repopulated, especially since Sinclair had just made contact with another section of the Ark that had landed much further away than anticipated and the main camp was going to need the extra beds.  They had also begun collecting volunteers to go to the other grounder villages to learn from them.  And any day now, some grounders would begin trickling into one or the other of their camps to help the prepartions for winter; Lincoln said the snow would be here sooner than they thought.

Everything was feeling like it was beginning to settle into a livable rhythm.  Aside from the uprising from the north hanging over their heads.  And the space between him and Clarke.  Bellamy was keeping his distance, not burdening her with his worries on top of hers.  But it was still digging a pit in his stomach.  Especially since she had begun to turn in the other direction whenever she saw him and effectively kept her thoughts to herself.  Though the wall, for lack of a better word, was growing vines of anger and upset directed at him.  But it was for the best.  If she was mad at him, he should let her be; let her work it out without him hovering to check on her, even though that’s what he really wanted to be doing.

He was in the middle of chopping more firewood when Monty came storming up to him.  Bellamy had not pegged Monty to be one for the storm of righteous anger that was roiling in him, but there was no other way to describe it.

“I can’t believe you!” he yelled.  Birds in nearby trees took off at the sudden outburst.  “You should have seen her!  You should have heard her!”  Bellamy leaned the ax against the stump and tried to figure out what Monty was yelling about.  “She sounded broken!  Pissed?  Yes.  But mostly broken!”

“Who?”

“Clarke! Who else would I be talking about?  And she’s Clarke!  She’s not supposed to break!  She’s supposed to be the strongest of us and tell us we’re going to survive this godforsaken planet!  But she’s leaving!  And it’s because of you!”

“Wait, what?”  Clarke was leaving?  This was the first he was hearing about this.  And judging by Monty’s reaction, the first the other man was, as well.  He knew she was upset and emotional over what they did at Mount Weather.  But that’s why he was giving her space.  To let her pull herself back together on her own terms.

“Clarke’s leaving!  And it’s your fault!  Of course, she didn’t say it was because of you.  But we all know it is!  Every time she sees you, you can just see it in her eyes!  I don’t know what the duck you did or why you’re acting like this, but fix it!”

Bellamy didn’t wait for another word.  He was off sprinting through the trees.  Why was she leaving and why was Monty blaming it on him?  He was doing what was best for Clarke.  She wanted to be left alone to grieve for their actions.

He was out of breath when he finally spotted her, pack strapped to her back, step determined.  He could tell something was off by the set of her shoulders, though.  “Clarke!” he panted.  Only then did it occur to him that he could have projected and probably saved himself quite a bit of distance in sprinting.  But she probably wouldn’t have responded, so this was good.  “Clarke!” he called again.

She stopped dead in her tracks and turned to him with a menacing glare.  “What?”

He caught up to her, panting. “Where are you going?”

“Polis,” she clipped, avoiding his gaze by looking off into the trees.  “Lexa said I was always welcome to join her there.  I figured it was a good of place as any.” She huffed a breath and looked down at her hands. “Better than some,” she whispered.

“Why?” he demanded.  He wanted her to look at him, but he didn’t think she would respond well to him trying to force it.

“I told you,” she looked at him now.  He almost wished she hadn’t.  The pain in her eyes was evident.  Monty had said “broken” and Bellamy wasn’t so sure he was far off.  “Lexa said I was always welcome there.”

“No.  Not why are you going _there_.  Why are you leaving at all?” He noticed the pain in his voice almost mirrored that in her eyes.

She looked down to her hands again, he could see tears glistening at the brink of spilling over.  “You don’t want me here.  You can’t even look at me lately and barely say two words to me.  You blame me, you blame me for what I did in Mount Weather.  All those people…”

He felt something inside him break at that moment.  “Hey, hey, hey,” he gently lifted her chin so she would look him in the eyes.  “What _we_ did.  And I do _not_ blame you at all.  Do you want forgiveness?  Because I give that to you.  We did what we had to do.”

“Then why won’t you talk to me?  Why won’t you—god I sound like I fucking hormonal teenager—why won’t you touch me?  You used to.  We used to be partners, co-leaders.  I thought you, I thought you wanted to be more…I did…do.” By the end her tone was barely audible.

He pulled her into his arms, holding her close against him and leaving no gap between them.  “I thought you wanted space,” he murmured into her hair.  “To come to terms with what happened in Mount Weather on your own.  And I, I didn’t want to add my own anxieties and grief to yours.  I thought that was what you wanted.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be a fucking telepath?” The choked sound was somewhere between a sob and a laugh.

He chose to believe it was closer to a laugh.  “Well, I’m pretty bad at it apparently.” He pulled back just far enough to cup her face in his hands and look into her eyes.  “Plus, _someone_ has gotten a hell of a lot better at keeping her thoughts to herself.”

“I knew I’d get it, eventually.” She was smiling now. There was still sadness in her eyes and tear stains on her cheeks, but she was smiling.  “For the record.  I want to talk to you about shit like that.  I want to be able to lean on you for support, metaphorically and physically.”

“Noted,” he smiled back.  “And for the record, I want that, too.”

 “Also for the record?” Clarke bit her lip.  “I just want, you.”

Bellamy was beaming now.  “I want that too.”  Then he was closing the last bit of distance between them and bringing his lips to hers, savoring every moment, even the bitter one with the taste of her salty tears.

She pulled on the collar of his jacket, bringing them infinitesimally closer, and he felt the swipe of her tongue.  He eagerly opened and deepened the kiss.  They only pulled back when they were both panting for breath, but neither of them went far, keeping their arms locked around the other.

“I really hope this means you’re _not_ going to Polis,” Bellamy breathed.

Clarke twittered a laugh.  “Not unless you’re coming with me.”

“So, in a few weeks?  We’ll take the squad and go check out what the capitol is like?”

“Sounds like a plan.” She linked their fingers together and began pulling him back toward the Dropship’s camp after slinging her pack, which had somewhere along the way gotten dropped on the ground, over one shoulder.  “How did you know I was leaving, anyway?”

“Monty,” Bellamy shook his head incredulously at the memory.  “I swear it was almost scarier than when Jasper hulks out, _before_ he got control over it.  If I go the rest of my life without seeing that again, I’ll still have witnessed it too many times.”

Clarke threw her head back, laughing at his dramatics.  He tugged his arm around her waist and pulled her close to plant a kiss on the top of her head.  If he could just stay in this small moment—the woman with whom he thought he just might be falling in love held in his arms and laughing with happiness—maybe he would find his peace on the ground, even among all the chaos that tended to reign.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. It feels so weird being done with this story. I was super emotional, very sappy when I wrote that last bit. And I will be posting a short epilogue scene tomorrow or the next day (something to rejoice in the Bellarke fluff that ended this chapter and story).
> 
> And now the surprise, I mentioned in the beginning notes: you may have noticed that more often than not, I write more than I originally intend. Apparently this extends to more than just chapters. Anyway, I was _originally_ intending to write a short-ish “Life After” fic set in this universe. So I could revel in the Bellarke actually happening in this universe. In this original plan I was going to leave the Pike/Diana think slightly unresolved so there would be actual plot to the “Life After” fic. But I invoked the muses the other day and they’re still hanging around and inspiring (now against my wishes) and so basically an entire plot for a sequel has begun to emerge in my brain-filled mind. Surprised? Yeah, me too. Not exactly sure when I would get to it; it would not be my next long fic. But yeah, now it’s sitting on my To Do List.
> 
> As for my next long fic. That’s still a bit up in the air. I looked at my story ideas word document and couldn’t even think about what to approach next or if I would even start another big story anytime soon or if I’d just stick to one-shots for a while. But at the moment, the greatest potentials (in no particular order) are (1) a kind of fairy realm/fantasy type universe, (2) a Harry Potter universe, but not really, it would be focused on working with dragons in Romania or similar, (3) a mystery(?) or otherwise long and evolved fic set in my Non-Fiction Fairytales/Urban Fantasy Universe (“Fanning the Flames” and “Down the Rabbit Hole”), or (4) a Fairy Tail fusion story (it’s an anime, for those of you who don’t know (I was actually just introduced to it a few weeks ago, so I would have to binge the rest of the show, a tragedy, I know)). Not sure yet. If any of those really speak to anyone, let me know with a PM, a comment, on Tumblr, dealer’s choice. No idea when I’d write them, but eventually. PS my beta, TheAmazonian is currently partial to options 3 and 4, so either throw your support behind her or argue for something else. As I said, right now it’s still up in the air.


	24. Epilogue (aka Fluff)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Bellamy?_ she called.  
>  _Almost home, Princess?_  
>  _Yeah. Just wondering where you were and the chances of you having a warm meal for me ready._  
>  She could hear the laughter in his response.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little winter scene for our lovely Bellarke. Hopefully give you some smiles and tide you over till the sequel...which I will write at some point...hopefully.

True to Lincoln’s word, the snow came sooner than anyone had expected.  The first day it came, Clarke had woken to a white blanket covering the ground; there wasn’t a lot of it, just enough to make everything white.  And it was still falling from the sky.  People had danced around in it, reveling in the cold beauty of it.  The few grounders who had been helping to build sturdier, warmer structures inside the Dropship’s grounds had shaken their heads at the Sky People and their childish antics, but no one had paid them any mind.

However, it had been winter for a long time and Clarke was growing tired of the cold.  She snuggled further into the furs of her jacket.  It had been a long hike from Exodus and she was ready for some dinner by the fire in her and Bellamy’s tiny, one room cabin; saving on space by doubling up had been the “official” reasoning behind their sharing.  Their friends had just rolled their eyes.

 _Bellamy?_ she called.

_Almost home, Princess?_

_Yeah.  Just wondering where you were and the chances of you having a warm meal for me ready._

She could hear the laughter in his response.  _You’d have to ask Murphy about the meal.  I was hunting, hoping to get us a little more meat, but nothing risked coming out of its hole.  I’ll head back now?  Meet you by the food?_

 _Sounds like a plan_ , she told him.  And began to form her own plan.  When she had first been taught how to fight by Bellamy she had told him that she would get the drop on him one day.  She knew where he liked to hunt and if he was headed back to camp, maybe she could sneak up on him and finally get him. 

She veered slightly west and sped her step.  She just had to time this right.  Once she had reached her intended destination she shimmied up a tree and settled in the low branches to wait.  She idly shielded her thoughts the best should could.  She just hoped he wasn’t seeking them out because her plans and position would be given away in an instant.

But before long, a curly head walked into her line of sight, one that seemed none the wiser to her hiding spot.  Calmly biding her time, she waited until he had just taken a step past her and pounced, launching herself out of the tree.  As expected, Bellamy instinctively rolled with the attack.  But she managed to retain the upper hand.

Clarke looked down at the man she had pinned under her, straddling his legs, and holding his shoulders to the ground with her hands.  “Got’cha,” she crowed happily.  “Told you I’d get the drop on you one day.”

Bellamy laughed, his hair mussed with snow from the short roll.  “Who says I didn’t let you pin me?”

Clarke frowned, this hadn’t occurred to her.  “It’s not in your nature to let someone else win,” she argued.

“Who says I’m not winning right now?  I’m pretty happy with the position I’m in,” he smirked and gave her a once over, rolling his hips for emphasis.

She huffed and sat back on her heels, still straddling him.  “Fuck you.  I totally got the drop on you.”

He waggled his eyebrows, “Definitely not objecting to that idea.” The next she knew she was being flipped onto her back.

She stared up at him where he had her pinned beneath him, a wide grin filling up his face.  “I think I get your point,” she smiled, tugging him a little closer, “this is a pretty nice position to be in.”

She ran her fingers through his hair and that was all the encouragement he needed to close the distance and seal her lips with a kiss.  Clarke continued to kiss him, until a little impish thought formed.  She closed her right hand around a handful of snow on the ground.

“Don’t you fucking even think about it,” Bellamy warned pulling back and grabbing for her hand.  But he was just a hair too slow and she brought it to the back of his neck where his jacket was open.  He let out a small yelp and she used his momentary distraction to wriggle out from under him.  She scrambled to her feet and stopped a few feet away.

“Oh, you’re going to pay for that!” he growled gaining his feet and lunging for her.

She dodged his first grasp and danced around the trees while he chased her.  Between the giggles and the running from tree to tree, it wasn’t long before she was gasping for breath.  Which he fully took advantage of.  Bellamy wrapped a strong arm around her waist from behind and began to reach for some snow. 

“Stop, stop!”

“Really?  You think that’s a good negotiation tactic?  I thought you were going to be an ambassador to the twelve clans.  You’ll have to do better than that.”

She leaned her head back onto his shoulder and he turned his head slightly to meet her gaze.  “How about this, then?” she asked, pressing a kiss to the underside of his jaw.  “We head back to the cabin and I help warm you up.  You must be freezing after sitting out here hoping some animal will show its face.”

Bellamy pretended to be considering her offer as she peppered kisses along his jaw, cheek, and eventually the corner of his mouth.  He turned into that one and quickly deepened it.  He hummed, pulling back.  “I think I could agree to that.  Under one condition…” He reached up to a nearby branch and grabbed a handful of snow of the branch, shoving it down the back of her jacket before she could move.

Clarke shrieked and jumped out of his arms.  “Asshole!” she accused with a smile on her face.  She really should have seen that one coming.

“Yeah, but you already knew that.  Truce?” he asked, moving toward her with his hands up in surrender.

Clarke narrowed her eyes.  “Truce,” she agreed before tucking herself into his side so they could make their way back to camp, “For now…”

Bellamy threw his head back in laughter before leaning over and dropping a kiss on the top of her head.  “I wouldn’t expect anything different.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A final thank you to everyone who has read this story. And one to those who commented. You all put a smile on my face.
> 
> And because I can't thank her enough, thank you to my wonderful beta and one of my best friends, TheAmazonian. You helped me through my struggles with plot questions and rants and made sure I didn't publish any ridiculous sentences or poor grammar. "She directed her gaze directly in his direction." For reals, that sentence actually appeared in a rough draft. Hopefully, I would have caught it before I published, but I didn't have to worry with her. So again, thank you.

**Author's Note:**

> Forever thanks to my friend, TheAmazonian, who betas, brainstorms, and BELLARKE!!!s with me.  
> BELLARKE - v. (must always be in caps lock) to squeal "BELLARKE," often in the direction of another person,  
> because it is your OTP and aside from "laksjdflni" it is the only way to describe your feels
> 
> And as always, Kudos and comments are without fail appreciated. Seriously, they make my day.
> 
> Also, I finally broke down and got a [Tumblr](https://dracoterrae9099.tumblr.com/). I really don't know what I'm doing (technologically challenged and socially awkward over here; please don't judge me). But feel free to come chat at me about Bellarke or my stories or basically anything.


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